


Avatar: Legacy and Destiny

by VergilCorvus



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 46,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26611177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VergilCorvus/pseuds/VergilCorvus
Summary: History is written by the victor. Or at least that's what most people would have you believe. There is so much more hidden away behind other possible paths of destiny that are never seen. This is a tale where one chose to defy the spirits and fate itself in order to alter the course that was set before them. In doing so, the story goes on changing the fates of everyone involved.
Relationships: Aang & Katara (Avatar), Aang & Toph Beifong, Aang/Katara (Avatar), Aang/Toph Beifong, Azula (Avatar)/Original Character, Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Mai & Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	1. Gathering Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note & Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or properties associated with Avatar: The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra. I've always been a big fan of Avatar when it first appeared and still am even after all these years. So I finally decided to write this after my passion for a certain ship (Zutara) was rekindled. I just want to start by saying thank you to all the fans and supporters of Zutara after all these years. You've motivated me to write again. I especially want to thank all the creators, writers, and artists involved in Zutara week, the Zutarians on tumblr, and hayleynfoster for her awe-inspiring animations. By the way, this is going to be a really long story with an incredibly slow burn when it comes to relationships. I'll try to update when I can and I hope you enjoy what I write.

Preface

"Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations were divided by conflict. Then, everything changed when the Avatar appeared. Only I, the symbol of light and harmony, could put an end to the chaos and violence, and when the world needed me most, I saved it. Many ages passed and I witnessed this world be broken, time and time again, overcome by more war and suffering. And although I succeeded in bringing about peace, it did not last in keeping balance between the people of the four nations. But now, I have returned, to create everlasting order and unity to ensure that this world shall never need to be saved again."

* * *

Chapter 1: Gathering Storm

A hooded figure sits alone atop a quiet mountainside. The figure is adorned in a faded purple cloak peacefully watching the setting sun as it retreats into the darkening horizon. It is a beautiful sight to behold with shades of red and orange intermingling with the dark blues and purples across the landscape of the Fire Nation capital. The young man can't help himself from smiling underneath the hood of his cloak. While he watches, two masculine forms walk up next to him and kneel respectfully before the sitting man. One of the men is hulking and towering, garbed from head to toe in solid black and grey thick metal armor. He wears a shelled helmet that shows his aged yet focused hazel green eyes. The other man is half the size of the larger one. He is tall and dressed in dark navy, form fitting clothes that show off a well-toned muscular build with worn silver bracers and shin guards. His long, raven black hair is tied up in a ponytail with most of his face hidden behind a draconic azure mask aside from the tan skin of his forehead and his cold blue eyes. The armored man is the first to break the silence. His voice is old but deep and booming.

"My master, the preparations are complete."

The sitting man replies in a surprisingly youthful and joyful tone. "Oh, good. That is very good to hear." There is an energetic playfulness in his voice when the young master speaks again. "We won't have to wait much longer, my friends."

The young master looks away from the scenic view of the Fire Nation in the opposite direction. Massive storm clouds and several streaks of lightning are seen gathering in the distance nearby. The crash of thunder erupts in the air, booming across the slowly darkening earth. Another smile escapes from the cloaked young man as he gazes at the oncoming tempest heading their way.

"Not long at all."

"Understood, master." the armored man says dutifully.

The other man finally speaks up. His tone is husky and determined with a natural sort of harshness within it.

"We will not fail you, master."

"Always so eager, young Kai." The cloaked young man calmly stands up and turns toward his companions. He places a reassuring golden gauntleted hand on each of their shoulders. "I worry not about failure, for I have great faith in the both of you."

"Thank you, master." say the two men in unison as they bow their heads.

The young master removes his hand from their shoulders and places them behind his back. "Even though I'm going to miss this lovely view, I really must take my leave now. After all, I do need to attend to your fellow comrades."

He gives a casual wave goodbye before turning away from his companions. "Farewell my friends, and I wish you the best of luck on your tasks."

The cloaked young man whistles out a sharp avianlike sound then walks off the edge of the cliff. Seconds later, he swiftly rises back up mounted atop a giant, multicolored beautiful bird. The winged creature lets out a melodious call before taking flight with its master.

* * *

Closing his eyes for a moment, the young ruler with the burn scar on the left side of his face takes a slow, deep breath to calm his nerves. He is dressed in the ornate red and gold robes of his nation as he patiently sits upon the imperial throne. A group of soldiers soon make their way into the throne room and stop before him.

"Captain Khan, report your findings." states the Fire Lord with authority while trying to hide the anticipation within himself.

Standing at attention a short distance from the throne, the leader of the soldiers marches forward and takes a knee before the young, dark haired Fire Lord. His men follow suit behind him while staying in formation.

"Fire Lord Zuko, I'm sorry to report that so far we have been unsuccessful in our mission to locate your mother, or any signs of her whereabouts, within the outer borders of the Earth Kingdom. We are truly sorry and hope that you can forgive us, my lord." speaks the leader with a deep regret.

The small light of hope that Zuko feels in his heart is quickly snuffed out. Repressing the rising sigh within himself, the Fire Lord keeps his cool composure.

"It's all right, captain. Just continue your search. That is all."

"Of course, Lord Zuko. Men, head out."

After the soldiers leave the room, the young ruler's calm demeanor soon fades away. He lets out the sigh he held back from earlier and begins to wonder if he will ever find his mother. It's been almost a year since Zuko started searching for Ursa, but still, he's found nothing. Even after countless interrogations with his deposed father, Zuko hasn't been able to get the former Fire Lord to reveal any new information, or anything else really, about his mother.

'Mother, where are you?' Zuko thinks to himself disheartened. The more he thinks about it, the more hopeless and discouraged he feels about himself and everything else around him. He just sits there pondering quietly. A moment of silence shortly passes by before someone breaks him out of his brooding thoughts.

"Hey, you know your face is going to get stuck like that if you keep thinking about whatever you're thinking." calls out a cheery voice.

"Huh, what?"

"See! Much better!" exclaims a cute young woman as she pops her head up from near one of the throne's armrest.

"Ah! Ty Lee, you know I hate it when you do that!" retorts the Fire Lord with a small scowl.

"Well you were spacing out, so I wanted to make sure you were okay." speaks Ty Lee in her usual chipper tone as she gracefully flips a few feet away from Zuko. With her brown hair in its usual braided style, Ty Lee is dressed in a somewhat more formal, yet still comfortable, pink and red attire of hers. "I am your trusted bodyguard after all, along with occasional jester and entertainer for the Fire Nation court."

"I said I didn't need a bodyguard in the first place."

"Yeah we know, but the council highly recommended it. Plus, your friends thought it'd be best to keep you as safe as possible, especially with all the changes you plan to make."

"The council only recommended it because they wanted someone to always spy on me." counters an annoyed Zuko. 'That or hope to try to assassinate me.'

"But it all worked out because I'm the one guarding you! That and I was the only one Mai was okay with having the job." The acrobatic girl lets out a giggle as she thinks about her friend threatening anyone that came close to the Fire Lord.

Seeing her response, Zuko can't help himself from letting the beginnings of a smirk form on his face. "You're not wrong about that. I'm pretty sure Mai scared off everyone else that tried for the position."

"Probably, but that's just how she shows that she cares about you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." answers Zuko with a full smirk as he thinks about his girlfriend.

"Also, I'm your friend too, Zuko. Hasn't it been way more fun having a friend like me around all this time?"

Ty Lee had been appointed Zuko's royal bodyguard a couple of weeks after the Fire Nation started working on damage control from the end of the war along with reparations and restructuring efforts. It's been close to a year now, and as much as he doesn't want to admit it, Zuko is glad to have the company of someone he knows with him while he fulfills his duties as Fire Lord.

"Hmm, I suppose I can't complain too much with your performance so far. It's been… acceptable. And that's Fire Lord Zuko, guard." teases the young ruler.

"I'm happy to be of service, your Highness." Ty Lee gives a playful bow back to her friend. "And that's royal guard by the way. Plus, you know you would be so bored without me here."

"I'm bored with you here now." jokes Zuko.

"Hey!"

They share a small laugh after finishing the banter between them.

"My lord." interjects a guard as he makes his way before the two of them.

Almost like instinct at this point, Zuko and Ty Lee instantly switch back to all business mode. The young ruler puts on his serious Fire Lord face and the acrobatic girl places herself back into bodyguard posture at the side of the throne.

"Yes, guard, state your business."

"Lord Zuko, I come bearing a message from Lady Mai. She requests your presence in the royal garden." states the man with a small bow. "Of course, I mean at your earliest convenience, sir." nervously adds in the man.

'Mai.' "Thank you for letting me know. Tell her I will be there soon."

"Yes, my lord." replies the guard who then promptly leaves.

After attending to all their business in the palace, Zuko and Ty Lee start their short trek to the royal garden. Zuko's relationship with Mai is basically how it was before the war ended, almost like nothing had changed between the two of them after everything that happened. It is a good stability that Zuko didn't expect he would have and appreciate with all the things that are changing around him. He likes having that stability and it's one of the few aspects of his new life as Fire Lord that helps get him through his days, but that isn't to say that Zuko doesn't constantly miss the adventurous life he had before and the close friends he made along the way. Absentmindedly, he starts reminiscing about those friends of his and the times they shared together. Sokka with his confident bravado and bad jokes occasionally made him chuckle and often facepalm. Toph's quick witted remarks and tough love attitude was down to earth and surprisingly refreshing. While on the subject, Zuko remembers that he still owes Toph, as she called it, "a life-changing fieldtrip" with him. With his childlike innocence and playful view of life, Aang reminded the firebender of better times and what the world needed most right now. Then there was Katara with her sincere kindness and warm heartfelt presence that Zuko feels like he misses the most out of all of them. The young Fire Lord unknowingly lets a smile creep up on his face from the nostalgia.

"What's up with the goofy smile?" voices Ty Lee as she walks with Zuko.

"Oh, umm, it's nothing."

"You sure? Because it looked like you were pretty happy about something."

"Just a memory."

"Must be a good one then. Just hope you stay in that good of a mood."

"What do you mean by that?" wonders the ruler curiously.

"Well, that's the first time I've seen you with a genuine smile in a while. Hey that rhymed!"

"What? You've seen me smile before, like when I'm with Mai."

"Yeah, but you usually put on a smile for show in front of the nobles or because you're used to doing it out of a habit because that's what you're supposed to do since you and her have been together for as long as you have. Not at all like the happy carefree smile you had just now."

"And you would know this about me, how?"

"I've been by your side for nearly a year, Zuko. What else was there for me to do besides stand watch, practice my yoga, and keep an eye on you?"

"Wait, you've been observing and studying me?" questions the Fire Lord slightly troubled by her words.

"Well yeah, it's kinda part of my job to look over you. My head's not just up in the clouds all day, silly. It's more like my feet." Ty Lee switches to walking on her hands as she continues her conversation with her friend.

Zuko can't resist giving her a small laugh. "With what you just told me, you know you could easily betray me and spy for the Fire Nation council."

"Why would I do that? We've known each other since we were kids and I like being friends with you, even if you are a little hotheaded."

"Hey!"

"I'm just teasing." replies the acrobatic bodyguard as she gets back to her feet. "Besides, those snobby nobles on the council are all so selfish, mean, and boring. Well, except for Master Piandao. I like that you decided to make him your head military advisor. I also like what you're trying to do for all of us, Zuko."

Hearing his friend's words, the Fire Lord feels a little more reassured that he's truly doing a good job for his people and nation. A tense heaviness on Zuko's shoulders slowly eases away just a bit.

"Thank you, Ty Lee." Zuko smiles brightly.

"You're welcome!"

Not long after they finish speaking, the two friends finally arrive at the royal garden within the palace. Dressed in her typical dark red attire, Mai is sitting on a wooden bench next to the pond where the turtle ducks swim. As they approach her, Mai stands up and is immediately met with a loving hug from Ty Lee.

"Mai!"

"Good to see you too, Ty Lee." smiles Mai as she hugs her friend back. "And you don't have to hug me every time we see each other."

"Aww but then how would you know I missed you."

"We just saw each other yesterday."

"All the more reason to keep doing it. More hugs make everything better."

"You're not going to win against her on this. Trust me." interjects Zuko.

"I suppose you're right. And greetings, your Highness." smirks Mai with an unenthusiastic noblewoman's bow followed by a quick kiss to Zuko's lips.

"Hello to you as well, my lady." replies Zuko as he warmly embraces Mai.

"You don't mind if I steal the Fire Lord away for a while?" asks the young noblewoman to Ty Lee while still in Zuko's arms.

"Oh, not at all. Just make sure to have him home by bedtime."

"Hey, don't I have a say."

The two girls answer Zuko back simultaneously.

"No."

"Nope."

The three friends share a short laugh between them.

"You can take the rest of the day off, Ty Lee. And thanks again."

"Of course, and anytime, Zuko. Have fun you two!" declares the cheery acrobat before skipping away.

After their friend leaves, the couple sits down on the wooden bench and get into a comfortable position. Mai naturally wraps her arm around Zuko's then sweetly places her head on his shoulder. They remain seated there, resting and enjoying the peace and quiet between them for a while before the young ruler speaks again.

"So why did you request my presence?" teases Zuko with a smirk as he looks over at his girlfriend.

"Oh, I was just feeling bored, and I was thinking that maybe you and I could go out and do something."

"Sure, what did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking that we could go to the Red Dragon Theater and be rude in the audience while a performance was happening." states the black-haired girl with a hint of mischief in her tone.

"Oh Mai, you never change." jokes the firebender.

"I know, but that's one of the reasons why you like me." she playfully replies as she plants a hard kiss to his cheek.

He gives her a gentle kiss on the cheek back. "When did you want to go?"

"Probably now would be a good time. I heard a storm is supposed to be coming in soon."

"All right then, just let me change into something not so hard to move in." states the Fire Lord as he looks at his own royal garb.

"You know I could help you out of that." replies Mai in a sultry tone.

"Then we won't even leave the palace if you did that."

"Yeah, you're right. Go get changed." responds the young noblewoman as she removes herself from Zuko. "Don't keep me waiting." Mai adds as she gently pushes her boyfriend away from the bench.

"Yes dear." teases back the Fire Lord as he leaves for his private quarters.

With a smirk, Mai makes sure to give Zuko a sarcastic roll of her eyes as he walks away. A bit of time passes by and Zuko makes his return. No longer tied up in a top knot, Zuko's dark hair is down barely reaching past his shoulders with the front parted to the sides. He's dressed in his typical traveling attire that he always like to wear on a casual basis. The Fire Lord offers up his arm for Mai to take hold.

"My lady, shall we away?"

"We shall, your Highness."

Mai latches onto her boyfriend and places herself at the same side next to him like she always does. The couple then begins making their way toward the gates leading out of the palace into the central part of the city. As they near the gateway, the guards in the vicinity become more alert and stand at attention in their presence. The main gatekeeper respectfully addresses them with a bow when they stop in front of him.

"My lord, are you heading out?"

"Yes, Mai and I are planning to attend a show at the Red Dragon Theater."

"Do you require transportation and a guard escort, sir?"

"Just the transportation and yes please." answers Zuko kindly.

"As you command, my lord. Men, bring forth a transport for Fire Lord Zuko and Lady Mai!" orders the commanding officer.

Within seconds, a grand carriage being pulled by two dragon moose arrives.

"Thank you, gatekeeper."

"It is my pleasure to serve, my lord."

"Come on, Zuko. Let's get going." declares Mai as she excitedly pulls on her boyfriend's arm.

After seating themselves in the carriage, the Fire Lord tells the driver where to take them and they head off. Zuko gazes out the open-air window as they ride through the streets of Caldera. He looks over some of the changes he enacted in the Fire Nation since his reign began. All wartime propaganda and monuments were removed from the city which included all statues of Ozai. The number of guard patrols was reduced to help ease the citizens into understanding that they were now in a time of peace. Embassies for the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom were built adjacent to the commercial and trade district while remaining a moderate distance away from the palace in case any foreign political matters needed to be settled. The former prince can't help himself from feeling a sense of prideful accomplishment whenever he sees the flags of the other bending nations flowing freely through the air above the colorfully clothed crowds of travelers, traders, and tourists going about their daily lives. It's just one of those victories that make it feel like everything his friends and him went through was worth it in the end.

Beyond the changes that could be seen on the surface, Zuko's reforms are reshaping the Fire Nation from within as well. He is attempting to lessen the gap in society by extending some privileges and freedoms that had previously belonged only to nobility and upper class to commoners and the working class, despite the heated outcries from traditionalists and certain members of his own council. He came to this decision after witnessing firsthand the disparity between highborn and lowborn from his travels through the Earth Kingdom as well as his own realization of the class division in Fire Nation society. Another major change brought forth is in the education system. The dark past and transgressions of the Fire Nation and the Fire Lord's lineage that were hidden away behind honor and patriotism would be brought to light. The truth of the war will be detailed properly in their historical textbooks and taught in schools to children of all ages. Zuko wants them to know and understand that they can still be proud of who they are as a people, but that they also need to be able to accept the mistakes they have made while working to correct their wrongdoings in order to move forward. Thankfully, after many acts of goodwill and much convincing, the majority started to support him and his ideals.

Throughout it all, Zuko more than anything just wishes his mother was there with him to see it happen, to see the good person and leader he has become thanks to her and the unconditional love and support she has always given him. The Fire Lord breaks away from his thoughts when they finally arrive at the theater. After exiting the carriage, the couple is immediately shown their way to the front.

"I love being with royalty." Mai says to Zuko.

Zuko simply smiles back at her as they reach the ticket booth where a young female attendant is helping attendees.

"Excuse me, what is showing tonight?" asks the dark-haired ruler.

"Fire Lord Zuko! Oh, umm, uhh…" replies the ticket seller nervously as she completely forgets where she is and what she is doing.

"Could you just tell us what the play is?" interjects Mai in her usual tone as the young woman in front of them tries to calm herself.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I'm just surprised, and a little overwhelmed to see his Highness. Management would usually let us know in advance whenever the Fire Lord is making an appearance. I'm a big fan of all the work you're doing, and I'm humbled to be of service to you, sir."

"That's… great. Umm, thank you. So, could you tell us what's showing?" wonders Zuko now feeling a little flustered and awkward.

"Oh, right. My apologies again, my lord. Tonight's production is called 'Starcrossed'. It's a brand-new play that only recently appeared here in the heart of the Fire Nation. From what I've been told, the script for the play was discovered near the ruins of the first Firebenders. Some also say that it's a lost historical record from one of the early Fire Lords but that's just one of the rumors I've heard. So I guess that makes the play actually quite old but technically new to all of us. Amazing, right? I also hear that—"

"Ahem." politely coughs Zuko.

"Ah!" replies the woman with a small blush. "My apologies again, my lord. I'm quite passionate about the theatre and the work everyone puts into it."

"That's quite alright."

"Thank you, sir. Tickets for two?"

"So what is the play about exactly?" wonders Mai after waiting for the ticket seller to come back to them.

"Oh right, of course. It's the story of two lovers from opposing sides, one is a warrior prince and the other is a shaman healer. Caught in the middle of a great conflict, the lovers struggle against the war as well as overcoming the hatred and prejudices of each other's families in order to try being together. The story itself is very much like the Cave of Two Lovers from Omashu and does share some similarities but let me tell you without giving away any spoilers, that this play is unique in its own right and deserves to be known everywhere."

"Uh huh." slowly nods the Fire Lord. "So Mai, did you want to see it?"

"Eh, I suppose." responds his girlfriend with an unenthusiastic shrug.

"Alright then. Two tickets please." the young ruler says to the attendant as he is about to pull out his money.

"Oh no, my lord. This is on the house for you and your lady." states the ticket seller as she politely raises a hand to stop Zuko from getting his money.

"Why thank you."

"It's an honor to have you here, sir."

After receiving their tickets and entering the theatre, Zuko and Mai begin heading down the hall and soon approach the stairs. They can hear the occasional whisper and rumor about them as they make their way through the crowd. The young Fire Lord has pretty much learned to remain calm and ignore it at this point especially with how others talked about him during his upbringing and after the Agni Kai that gave him his scar. Mai on the other hand doesn't like people staring so she would send out death glares to anyone that glanced a little too long in their direction. They finally seat themselves in the regal couch of their private balcony just a little bit before the play is about to start.

"Hey Zuko, are you all right?" asks Mai in a concerned tone as she nestles herself into her boyfriend's shoulder.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" he replies in a calm tone.

"You just seem tired and a little more stressed here lately."

"Yeah, I guess I have been. Just a little busy with trying to keep order and a few other things on my mind. But don't worry, I'll be okay." Zuko answers back with less enthusiasm than he intended.

"Okay, if you say so." the black-haired young woman says as she looks up and gives her boyfriend a gentle kiss. "Just make sure to tell Ty Lee because then she'll tell me since you don't like to talk with me about that stuff."

"Hey, I said I was fine!" reiterates Zuko as he teasingly blows in her ear.

Mai retaliates by squeezing the Fire Lord's lips shut. "Sure you are. Just try to not brood so much by yourself, I'm here too you know." She releases her grip on Zuko's mouth then kisses him affectionately.

"I know." The dark-haired firebender smiles warmly at her. "And thank you." he adds as he kisses her forehead.

As their tender moment ends, the main theatre lights dim down, and a few bright beams focus to the center of the stage signaling for the announcer to appear.

* * *

"Aang!" exclaims Katara as she bursts through another tent. "Aang! Aang, where are you?!" The young waterbender continues to call out for the Avatar as she looks for him. As her search goes on, Katara stumbles upon her father.

"Katara, what are you in such a hurry for?" asks the kind voice of Hakoda.

"Oh, hey Dad." She says with a bright smile. "I was just looking for Aang. Have you seen him?"

"Umm, I think I saw him out penguin sledding again." He replies with some discomfort in his tone.

"Thanks, Dad." Katara gives her father a quick hug then starts to head in the direction of where she thinks Aang will be.

"Wait Katara, you mind if I talk to you for a moment?"

The brown-haired girl stops and turns back around to Hakoda. "Sure, what is it?" wonders Katara with some curiosity in her tone.

"Well, it's… it's about Aang."

"Okay, what about Aang?"

"I think Aang just needs to do a little more growing up." asserts the water tribe chief in a serious tone. "I mean he's a good kid, and I like him. He can still be a little childish sometimes and that's fine. But it's been almost a year since the war has ended and he still spends most of his time playing around or wandering off. Now don't get me wrong, I don't see a problem with what he does. It's just the times when he chooses to do it. Whenever everyone else in the village is busy at work, it seems like he doesn't really know what to do with himself. He's more than happy to help us when we ask him and it's great when he does, but even Sokka had more of a work ethic when he was half Aang's age. And I understand that living in the Southern Water Tribe is probably a whole lot different from where he came from, but I also need him to understand that we all contribute in our own way and I just want him to find a place here with the rest of us. Do you understand what I'm getting at, Katara?"

Hearing the detailed explanation her father give about Aang is not something Katara expected to add to the list of things already on her mind. In fact, it was the most surprising thing the young waterbender has heard in a while. It took her a moment to process everything he said and as Katara thought it over, she knew he wasn't wrong. When Aang wasn't with her, the happy-go-lucky airbender did go spend most of his time playing around or off exploring. It's just how he's always been and Katara likes that youthful, adventurous innocence to him, but she can understand where her dad is coming from too. Thinking it over, the brown-haired young woman supposes she just didn't notice or looked past those parts of him because the two of them have been together for as long as they have.

"Yeah, I do." admits Katara sincerely. "I'm sorry I didn't notice any of this before. It must have been bothering you not talking about it."

"Only here recently, and I guess it's just been slowly building up over time. Aang's great, he's got a good heart and all the little ones love him. But he's also the Avatar and there's so much he can do to help us, especially with teaching and building. Could you just talk to him?"

"Sure Dad." responds his daughter with a smile.

"Thank you, Katara." The chief smiles back. "Also while you're at it, are you sure we can't convince him to start eating meat?"

Katara laughs at his comment. "Nope. And trust me Dad, Sokka's tried more times than I can remember."

"He's missing out, and he'll never get to appreciate my signature tiger shark and puffin-seal steak kebabs."

"That just means more for Sokka and me."

They share another laugh between them and hug once more before going back to what they're were doing.

As the young waterbender strolls through the snowy trails in the direction of where she thinks Aang is, Katara can't help herself from feeling pleased at how well the village has thrived since the war ended. The entire village is growing and progressing at a healthy pace. Thanks to the efforts of Master, and now Grandpa, Pakku, a good number of people from the Northern Water Tribe moved south to help with the rebuilding process along with creating more opportunities for growth and prosperity. More furred tents and huts spread out across their icy settlement with a few steel buildings placed amongst them, a gift from the Fire Nation. With children usually running around and playing in the snow, the center of the village has market stands sitting along the main pathways providing goods and services. The Southern Water Tribe is now almost half the size of its sister tribe in the north.

After reaching the outskirts of the village, Katara hears the distinct voice of her ever-cheerful boyfriend. She begins to feel more and more nervous the closer she gets to him. Katara knows she needs to talk with Aang about what her dad said, but she also doesn't want to come off sounding too harsh on him. They've been together for almost a year and things have been good between her and Aang. He can be a little clingy at times, but she doesn't mind giving him the attention and Katara enjoys seeing her funny and carefree boyfriend. When they're not busy, they share most of their free time together and he always tries to find or make gifts for her whenever they go out.

However, ever since Sokka left with Bato to help negotiate trade agreements along the coast of the Earth Kingdom and spend more time with Suki, Katara has taken up more duties in the village which leaves very few actual moments for them to be together. The young waterbender knows she has had a busier schedule as of late, but she sometimes wishes Aang was there more often to help her out with the priorities of the community. It is right then that Katara realizes she is now starting to sound like her father. She knows that she can be a little too lenient when it comes to anything involving Aang but it's because of everything they've been through together, and that's what makes it so difficult for her to be hard on him especially when she considers all the things he's lost. Thinking it over, Katara can't stop herself from feeling a little insecure about being the Avatar's girlfriend. The young waterbender sometimes thinks it would be easier if she just had a simple, straightforward relationship like the one Sokka and Suki have. Katara breaks away from her thoughts when she hears the excited shouts of Aang as he passes through the sky overhead.

"WAHOO!" cries out Aang as he flies off another snowy hill. Soaring in the sky behind him, a white and brown winged lemur follows right after his friend.

"Aang, could you come over here? I need to talk with you about something." exclaims Katara while still trying to think of what to say.

"Okay, Katara!" He gracefully jumps off the otter penguin and airbends a soft landing a few feet away from the waterbender. Momo follows suit and lands on the Avatar's shoulder.

"Nice one, Momo."

The pet companion chitters back a happy response.

"Hey Momo." kindly speaks Katara as she pets the lemur. "I hope you're staying warm out here."

"He's gotten a little more used to the cold and doesn't mind it as much when he's flying with me. Isn't that right, buddy?"

Momo nods in agreement then swiftly tucks himself away into the warmth of Aang's clothes. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

The waterbender feel her nerves freeze up when she sees the happy smile on her boyfriend's face and thinks about the disappointment that will follow.

"Umm, well, I…" Katara hesitates as she tries to kindly put into words what her father said then her mind jumps back to why she was looking for Aang in the first place. "I need you to teach the new waterbenders-in-training how to make a water whip, please."

"But you're much better with the water whip than I am. Why do you need me to do it?"

"Because I have to teach some healing techniques to another group of students today."

Aang let out a halfhearted sigh followed by a slump.

"Come on, Aang. You've spent most of the morning penguin sledding and I'm sure these new trainees can learn a lot from you. Plus, I'll bet they'll be extra excited when they find out it's the Avatar teaching him. You can even show them some of your airbending tricks." Katara knows she is baiting Aang just a little bit because he always likes to show those off whenever he can.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." accepts the air nomad with a soft smile.

"Come on, let's go. I promised them that I would start teaching as soon as I brought you back." declares Katara as she takes Aang's hand in hers and begins leading him back to the huts where they trained. The airbender boy can't help himself from blushing any time she does that.

"Hey, Katara?"

"Yeah, Aang?"

"Can we spend some time together after we finish teaching?"

The brown-haired waterbender stops in her tracks to think for a moment. Katara also knows that she still needs to find a moment to speak privately with Aang about what Hakoda said. "I don't think I have anything else important on my schedule today, so sure."

"Yes!"

"Okay now, let's hurry, Avatar Aang." teases Katara with a sweet kiss to her boyfriend's forehead.

"Of course, Master Katara." answers back Aang with a flushed face.

The couple hurriedly makes their way back to the village all the while still holding hands. In the back of her mind, Katara keeps thinking about what she needs to say to Aang. 'I probably don't even need to worry about it. It's Aang after all, I'm sure he'll understand and that everything will work out just fine.'

* * *

A starry night illuminates the vast and verdant countryside of the Earth Kingdom. Shades of green, yellow, and brown blend together contrasting against the dark hues of the twilight sky. A quiet peacefulness looms in the air all around the outskirts of the massive stone wall encompassing the densely populated capital city of Ba Sing Se. From a distance, the lantern lights scattered throughout the city appear like countless fireflies trapped behind a ring of earth. Hidden far away in a rocky alcove, two feminine forms patiently wait and watch the sleeping city.

"Dawn is coming soon." quietly states one of the women. Her voice is eerily calm with barely any emotion in it.

"Yes, yes. Not much longer now." retorts the other woman haughtily. When she speaks, she does so with a sense of superiority and maturity in her tone. "I've been quite bored waiting here all this time. I hope this city at least proves itself entertaining enough to be worth how long we've waited."

"Oh, I'm sure it will." speaks a cheery voice from behind them. Both women swiftly turn around to see a presence barely a few feet away holding a small lantern in his hand that reveals a faded purple cloak. Upon realizing who it is, the two of them kneel before the cloaked man.

"Master." declare the two women in unison.

The young master takes a couple steps forward with the soft glow from his lantern unveiling the appearance of his allies. One of the women is petite in her build wearing a snow white gi with black trim on the outer lining tied together by a matching black obi sash belt. Onyx black stripes are patterned all throughout the white of her outfit with an ebony scarf covering the lower part of her ghostly pale yet strikingly angelic face. Her short hair is like silvery silk with the front styled over to the right side concealing one of her blood red eyes. The other woman has a busty, hourglass figure dressed in a free flowing, fiery red royal robe and ornately designed sarong with bright golden trims and accents in the shape of feathers. Vermilion plumage decorates her tawny brown, wavy hair that is intricately braided. A translucent red veil and shawl shroud her shoulders along with the beautiful features of her mocha colored face and amber gold eyes.

"I'm sorry if I kept the two of you waiting longer than expected."

"No, master." stoically replies the young lady in white.

"Oh no, not at all." adds the red woman with a hint of sarcasm.

"Honest as ever, Melati." teases the cloaked man with a smile.

"Of course. You wouldn't prefer me any other way." smiles back Melati.

"Most of the time." The young master lets out a small chuckle. "So, are the two of you well? I hope you both received enough rest. After all, we have quite a busy day ahead of us."

"Yes, master." states the pale woman dutifully.

"More or less."

"I'm glad to hear it. By the way, did those underground layouts that man gave us for the city prove of any use?"

"They actually proved quite helpful, isn't that right Yukino?" responds Melati as she looks over to her comrade.

"Yes. After scouting with that intel, we found more advantageous points of ingress along with other vulnerabilities in the city's defenses."

"Excellent. I suppose we should give him a proper thank you along with bonus compensation for the information. Was he also willing to provide us with any of his agents?"

"Unfortunately not." speaks up Melati in an annoyed tone. "His excuses were that he believed it too risky and that he's not in the same position of power he was in before. And I almost thought him a man of action, such a shame."

"Oh well. We would have succeeded with or without his aid, but this does make it quite a bit easier. Although, I believe we can make use of him once this first task is done. I'm looking forward to seeing how all of this plays out."

"As am I." replies the red woman in a devilish tone.

"How about yourself, Yukino? How are you feeling?"

"The same as I always do, master."

"She's just overflowing with excitement." jests the woman in red.

"Yukino." speaks the cloaked man as he moved closer to his ally in white.

"Yes, master?"

"I know you'll do just fine." assures the young master as he uses his free hand to gently pat the top of his companion's head. "So there's no need to be afraid or nervous."

"Of course, thank you, master." responds the lady in white with a bow of her head as she tries to hide the small blush forming on her face.

"Aww how sweet, do I get one too?"

"If you'd like, Melati."

"No thank you, master." quickly replies the red woman with a raised hand in protest. "I'm more than confident in myself and my abilities."

"Of course you are." states the young master with a smile as he moves his hand away from Yukino and casually takes Melati's raised hand into his own and brings it closer to his concealed face. He gives a soft kiss to the top of her hand causing his ally to turn away slightly embarrassed then releases it after the gesture. "I'm glad to have the both of you here with me."

"Of course, master." declares Yukino.

"I suppose there are worse places I could be." jokes Melati with a smirk.

With a smile, the young master returns his free hand behind him and takes a couple steps back. "Seeing as the two of you are ready now, I should probably get myself into place as well. Your fellow compatriots, Rama and Kai, also stand ready. I'll be watching over all of you with anticipation. Take care and best of luck, my friends." After bidding them farewell, the cloaked young man takes his leave with the light of his lantern fading out in the darkness as he walks away.

* * *

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Red Dragon Theater!" proclaims the lavishly, scarlet dressed male announcer. "Tonight's production is a completely original masterpiece that just recently found its way to our hearts and home here in our beloved Fire Nation capital. And trust me when I say, we have quite a fantastic spectacle here for all of you. The playwright for this work remains a mystery, but this extravagant work they've gifted us is entitled 'Starcrossed.' Born to different worlds, two lovers must face the tragic realities of war, betrayal, and loss in order to be together. We truly hope that you are entertained and appreciate the heartfelt performance that our dedicated actors have prepared for you. And if for any reason at all you find yourself unsatisfied, you are more than welcome to come find me after the show. I'd be more than happy to discuss it with you." The announcer gives a charming wink out to the audience. "Without further ado, please enjoy."

"Finally, I never thought he would stop talking." states Mai out loud. Some members of the audience send death glares over at Mai, but she simply glares back causing them to retreat in fear. Zuko pays no mind to the hushed words and stares from the audience directed towards him and Mai. At this point, the Fire Lord just wants to no longer think about his royal duties and relax for the rest of the night. The dark crimson velvet curtains steadily pull away revealing the opening scene.

The scene begins from the inside of a dim grayish cave surrounded by pale green glowing crystals on the walls. A feminine figure wearing a deep ocean blue robe and hood with white fur lining appears on stage to the right. Seconds later, a masculine form wearing a fire red robe and hood with golden trim approaches her from the opposite side. They both remove their hoods and lovingly embrace each other. The woman is young with a cocoa brown complexion and beautiful blue eyes that are as brilliant and vibrant as water. Her dark brown hair is in a braid that comes to rest on her shoulder. The man looks a little older than the woman. His skin is pale with eyes that glow like molten gold. His long, dark hair is tied up into a high ponytail with stray bangs hanging down in the front. After embracing, the two pull apart just slightly and gaze deep into one another's eyes as if trying to peer into their partner's soul.

"Kyanna, I've missed you more than words can describe. It is pure madness being away from you, I can barely take it." speaks the man dramatically.

"Zenko, I feel the same. My heart is empty without your presence. I can't carry on unless you are with me." replies the woman with equal enthusiasm.

"Oh please, somebody just gag me." declares the Fire Lord's girlfriend not caring if anybody hears her.

Zuko on the other hand is trying his best to keep from bursting out laughing. He feels tiny spurts of air escaping from the corners of his mouth and eventually he just brings his head down to his legs to hide himself.

"Zuko, are you okay?"

"Yeah… never better." barely answers back the young ruler with a raised hand while keeping his head low. "This, just reminds me of something I've seen before… I just need a moment."

'Oh, you've got to be kidding me!' Zuko internally screams to himself while still holding back his laughter. 'It's like they just mashed together the Avatar play from the Ember Island Players and the story from the Cave of Two Lovers. How is this in anyway original?! Did they also seriously design the man in red to look like me minus the scar? And the woman is literally just Katara. Even the characters' names sound similar to ours.'

The young Fire Lord pauses in his mental ranting to pinch the bridge of his nose. 'They said this was an old play from the past but I'm finding that really hard to believe. Ugh, I should really start keeping an eye out for more things like this and make sure they don't use me or any of my friends' likeness in whatever crazy plays they keep coming up with.'

"Oh Kyanna, I don't know how much longer I can take constantly being away from you. You are the one thing that brings me peace in this chaotic world we live." proclaims Zenko as he gently placed his hands on his lover's shoulders.

Kyanna slowly wraps her hands around Zenko's wrists. "My heart belongs to you and you alone, Zenko, and nobody can ever change that. Alas, we are from two opposing societies, and our people will never allow us to be together." Kyanna turns away from her lover and begins crying into her hands.

Zenko moves closer to Kyanna carefully wrapping his right arm around her slim waist and turns her around to face him. He tenderly uses his left hand to caress her cheek. "I don't care about what our people think. All I know is that we will be together, regardless of how much the world fights against us. I promise you."

"It's been like five minutes and she's already crying. Why is she crying?" remarks Mai with less annoyance but more confusion in her tone this time. "Do they want us to believe that they actually talk like this to each other?" The black-haired young noble looks over to her boyfriend for his input.

"It's… a period piece. So maybe they do…" whispers Zuko having calmed down to a semblance of his former self.

"Oh Zenko, I love you. And I always will." Kyanna replies joyously as she wipes away the tears from her eyes.

"I love you too, Kyanna. Always and forever."

The lovers longingly lock eyes with each other once more. A long silence of anticipation overtakes the entire stage and the captivated audience. Finally, their lips connect in an awe-inspiring kiss. Most of the crowd can't help but keep their eyes transfixed to the beautiful scene playing out before them. Even Zuko focuses his gaze on the moment the lovers kiss. He feels a warm blush wash over his face. Part of him knows the reason why but the other part him doesn't want to admit it. Zuko's denial only causes his mind to seek out the source of his awkwardness and longing. Zuko thinks about a certain waterbender he knows with long, dark brown hair and beautiful ocean blue eyes. He remembers how she can be calm and gentle like a wave coming to shore, but he also knows that she can be as fearsome and powerful as a monsoon when she wants to be. Thankfully, she prefers being the former except when they're fighting to save the world. He recalls the times they've fought against each other and all the moments they fought on the same side. He feels a sense of thrill from the memories where they've clashed then eventually a peaceful harmony when they've worked together. When the former prince finally joined the Avatar and his friends, Zuko got to see firsthand how kind, caring, loyal, and most of all selfless Katara truly was. Regaining her trust was one of the hardest things he has ever done in his life and he would do it time and time again for her if he had to. Because seeing her smile and knowing she trusted and believed in him will always be worth it.

He subconsciously continues to reminisce about Katara as the play proceeds. Despite the waterbender being in his thoughts, the young ruler of the Fire Nation is still able to pay attention to the ongoing performance while also trying to appease his girlfriend. Pangs of guilt plague Zuko because he knows how wrong it is for him to be thinking about Katara when he's right there with Mai. He tries his best to remove the waterbender from his mind, but his efforts prove to be in vain the more he watches the play. Through his eyes, he can now only see the actor portraying the warrior prince as himself and the woman he loves as Katara. As for the play itself, it paints a surprisingly honest picture of war with its horrors and casualties. Friends and allies pick sides with some even betraying the lovers. Battle lines are drawn, and close family members are lost. The entire time, Zenko and Kyanna look to each other for hope and guidance through all the strife and chaos. When the play nears its climax, Zuko is already invested at this point and wants to know how it will all end. Mai lost interest about an hour in and fell asleep shortly after the second intermission. The dark-haired firebender had made sure to place a throw pillow under his girlfriend to keep her comfy and steady as she slept. A hazy fog begins to billow onto the stage softly shrouding the scenery. The lighting shifts to a pale blue hue with bright white dots scattered in the background and a singular radiant source hovering in the center indicating a moonlit starry night.

"Zenko! Zenko! Where are you?!" calls out Kyanna as she runs in with fear evident in her voice.

"Kyanna? Kyanna!" answers back Zenko as he staggers in with injuries from behind a boulder and drops down to a knee.

The shaman healer quickly heads over to the red-clothed warrior. She kneels right next to Zenko and holds him close. "My beloved, are you all right?"

He uses a reassuring hand to stroke his lover's head as they embrace. "I'll be fine, but we need to leave from here before they find us. We must away quickly."

She carefully helps him back up onto his feet. "I understand, we shall head for the mountain bridge. Let us be off."

Kyanna and Zenko intertwine hands and pause for a moment to look at each other with the same loving expression they had when they first appeared together. They then exit offstage and all the lights dim out for a short time as the stage crew hurriedly move in to change to the next scene. The stage lights soon return to their previous appearance with the lovers rushing out onto the middle of a bridge which is now center stage. Two groups of people appear on opposite sides of the bridge with weapons and torches in hand. The lovers stand back to back as they each stare out at their own people. A muddled mixture of discourse is heard from both parties as they call out to Zenko and Kyanna.

"Kyanna! Get away from him!"

"Zenko! She wants to turn you against us!"

"Listen to us! He is your enemy!"

"Surrender yourself and end this shame you bring upon our clan!"

"Do not be fooled by his lies! He will only betray you!"

"She is a temptress and a witch!"

"He is nothing but a filthy mongrel with the dogs that bring war upon us!"

"She and her entire people deserve only death!"

"Abandon him and come back to your family!"

"Take her life and you will be forgiven!"

With horror clear in their expressions, Kyanna and Zenko desperately look around for a way to escape, but they see that they are trapped with no way out. The lovers solemnly turn to face each other once more. They embrace tightly holding on with the hope of never wanting to let go.

"Zenko."

"Kyanna."

"Zenko, I cherish you and every single moment we've shared together. You could see how I wasn't perfect like everyone else wanted to see me and you didn't put me up on a pedestal to be worshipped. You saw all my imperfections and faults and who I truly was, but you accepted every part of me and still wanted to be with me. To help carry my burdens and hardships, to face any struggles and challenges together, and to share in our happiness and grief, I would want no one else but you by my side. With all my heart, you truly mean the world and beyond to me. I will always love you, in this life and in all the lives I will ever have to come." declared the blue-eyed shaman healer with tears streaming down her beautiful face.

"Kyanna, I will never know of any love more precious than what I have with you." Tears slowly streak down from the golden eyes of the warrior prince as he gently holds his lover's face in his hands. "You helped me in understanding who I wanted to be when I didn't know myself. I felt trapped by the mistakes and actions of my past, but you helped me to escape my demons, to forgive myself and keep moving forward to a brighter future. I promised you that we will be together, and we will. Come what may, I promise we will meet again. And I will always be there for you. To hold you, to support you, to comfort you, and to love you with all that I am. In all my lifetimes, I will wait for you until the moment we are finally together again, always and forever."

The lovers share a deep emotional kiss between them. Everything around them grows silent and even time itself almost feels like it has come to a standstill. Zenko and Kyanna look back one last time at their people. They see the faces of family, neighbors, friends, enemies, and allies. With their hands joined together, they jump off the bridge. The audience can see them fall and suddenly they're gone. As Zuko witnesses it happening, he feels his heart drop to his stomach. His chest feels heavy and a combination of dread and sorrow abruptly flood into the Fire Lord's mind. He doesn't even notice the couple of tears that make their way down his unmarred pale cheek. All the lights slowly fade out and the dark crimson curtains close. Everything is dark and quiet throughout the theater. Moments later, the lights of the theater come back up, and the audience begins filling the entirety of the room with resounding cheers and applause.

Mai eventually wakes up from the sounds of the audience.

"Zuko, is it finally over?" asks Mai sleepily.

The young ruler does not answer, his eyes still locked onto the stage. The velvet curtains soon pull open revealing the actors all lined up. The audience gives standing ovations when they see the thespians who respond with formal bows. Zuko remains in a state of shock as if though something inside him is broken.

"Zuko! Zuko, are you okay?"

"Huh, what?!" He turns in the direction of Mai as he realizes where he is.

"Zuko, you didn't answer me, and you were just staring. What's wrong?"

"Oh… it's, I think I was daydreaming, I guess." He subconsciously rubs his face with tunic's sleeve removing the wetness from near his cheek and eyes.

"You fell asleep too? That play was pretty boring, huh?" remarks Mai as she snuggles back into her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Yeah, it sure was." The firebender lies as he averts his gaze. "I can't even remember what it was about now. Sorry this wasn't as much fun as you hoped."

"It's okay, I'm sure we'll find other ways to have fun another time." Mai kisses Zuko sweetly on his cheek. "Take me home, your Highness."

"It would be my pleasure, my lady." smiles back Zuko now starting to sound more like his usual self.

Night has already set in by the time they leave the theater. It seems to be an even darker night than usual if not for the illumination coming from the streetlights and the lightning of the approaching storm. Distant roars of thunder grow louder as the storm closes in on the city with a light rainfall already pouring down on them. After seating themselves in the carriage, the Fire Lord tells the driver to take them to Mai's home in the nobles' district. During the ride back, Zuko remains silent as he keeps reflecting on the play and its ending. He's not entirely sure why this story struck such a nerve in his psyche. He had seen plenty of tragedies on stage before, but the pain of this conclusion felt all too real to him. It made him feel afraid and heartbroken, emotions he hadn't felt in a long time and didn't want to feel again. He considers it may have to do with the symbolism of seeing himself perish or even more so, the possible reality of losing someone he cares about.

Zuko's mind wanders back to a certain waterbender and what happened on the day of Sozin's Comet in the Agni Kai against his sister. In the final moments of their duel, he can still remember the unimaginable fear and pain coursing through him as he could only helplessly watch as Katara fought Azula. The former prince recalls struggling to just stay conscious and reaching out with what little strength he had wishing he could help his friend. He felt himself fading and being on the brink of death then moments later, most of the pain racking his body had subsided. In that instant, Zuko believed he had died. Fear and regret overtake him when he thinks that he has failed, and he wants to tell everyone how sorry he is. He's sorry for not being the better person his uncle always knew he could be, he's sorry for all the troubles and hardships he's caused the Avatar and his friends, and he's sorry for leaving Katara all alone. Those regretful thoughts disappear when he realizes gentle hands are against his chest. As sensation returns to his body, Zuko opens his eyes to see the kind face of the blue-eyed waterbender. Relief washes over him and the first words that come out of him are 'Thank you, Katara.' The memories come to a stop as the carriage arrives at its destination.

They sit there quietly at first until Mai shifts to look at her boyfriend. "Hey, Zuko, you seem really distracted. Even more than usual."

"Do I?" answers back the young ruler trying to sound as casual as he can.

"Yeah, you do." states Mai plainly. "And I don't think it's just your duties as Fire Lord that's causing it."

Zuko is slightly nervous now as he tries to keep his eyes locked on Mai's without breaking composure. "What makes you say that?"

"When Fire Lord business distracts you, you usually act angry and like to rant about it. But you've been more… broody."

"What? How can you tell?"

"Zuko, it's me. Your girlfriend. I'm supposed to know when something's wrong with you." explains Mai with a reassuring hand on her boyfriend's chest. "So are you going to avoid talking about it with me like you always do, or actually tell me what's going on with you?" The black-haired young woman questions with more authority in her tone as she pulls him in close by his tunic.

The enthusiasm from Mai's words jolts the Fire Lord to full attention. Feeling nervous and guilty, Zuko is unsure on what he should say. "Umm, well… it's, it's…"

Part of him knows he should be honest and tell her that Katara was on his mind, but he knows the problems it would cause between them. It's not an easy thing admitting to your girlfriend that while you were out on a date with her you were thinking about another girl even if he tried giving a reasonable explanation behind it. Saying the play put him in that mindset sounded more like an excuse than a legitimate reason about what he's been feeling. Zuko doesn't want to upset Mai, but he can also tell he'll make it worse by not telling her anything. Frustration sets in and the young ruler is beginning to panic until something comes to him.

"It's my mother."

"Oh." The assertive mood in Mai immediately backs down after hearing Zuko's response. "What about her?"

Zuko feels even worse now than when he started. 'Why am I using my mother as an excuse?! I'm literally the worst person that's ever existed! Oh Uncle, you would be so ashamed of me if you were here right now. I'm sorry, Mom.' The words had come out of the Fire Lord's mouth before he had time to process what he was saying. He knows what he said wasn't a lie, but it wasn't entirely the truth.

"I keep thinking about her. I keep sending people to look for her and they keep coming back with nothing. Part of me is afraid I'll never find her, and the other part thinks that… that she's already gone and that I should just accept it. I've searched for almost a year already and have nothing to show for it! But I feel like if I stop, then I've failed her as a son. So what am I supposed to do?! Just give up?! I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to be doing anymore! Or why I'm even the Fire Lord! And, and… I'm sorry, Mai. For not talking to you, about what's been bothering me. Or any of the other things I keep to myself. I've never been good… at a lot of things so I've just always tried to deal with everything by myself. I'm really sorry, Mai."

A heavy silence hangs between them for a long time. The driver awkwardly adjusts in his seat while trying to remain still without disrupting his passengers.

"Oh Zuko." Mai stares deeply into Zuko's golden eyes before bringing him into a warm embrace. "You're a mess." she adds with a slightly teasing tone.

"I always have been." jokes the dark-haired young man in a similar tone to his girlfriend. "So why do you put up with me?"

"Because someone has to." Mai responds with a playful smack to the Fire Lord's head causing him to act more hurt than he is. "That, and I guess you're one of the few people I don't hate."

"Thanks for not hating me." Zuko gives Mai a loving kiss to her forehead.

"There's still time." teases the young woman before kissing her boyfriend. "Well, I should probably get inside before this gets any worse. I hate getting wet."

"Would you like me to walk you inside?"

"You can join me inside if you like." Mai flashes a coy smile.

With a blush, Zuko swallows for a moment before keeping his composure. "Tempting as that is, I have a bunch of paperwork I need to catch up on tomorrow and I'll get behind if I stay. Part of all those Fire Lord duties I hate. I promise I'll make it up to you another time." He takes her hands in his then brings them up to his lips and kisses them several times.

"Oh well, can't blame a girl for trying. I'll hold you to it then. And if not, I'll just have to tell Ty Lee about it."

"Please, anything but that."

They share a small laugh between them before Mai gets herself ready to go.

"Driver, the door please." states the Fire Lord.

"Of course, my lord." The driver promptly goes over to the door on Mai's side and politely opens it for her.

"Goodnight, your Highness." the black-haired young noble gives a parting kiss to Zuko.

"Take care, my lady." He smiles back and waves as she takes her leave.

Once he sees Mai enters her house, Zuko lets out an exasperated breath. 'That could've gone better, but I'm glad it didn't turn out worse. I really should have told Mai the truth about what I was thinking tonight but… I guess maybe I don't have to now. It was probably just me feeling nostalgic tonight, I'm sure I'll forget about it tomorrow. Or at least, I'll make myself not think about it by then."

"My lord!"

"Yes?"

"Shall we return to the palace?"

"Oh, right! Yes, back to the palace. Thank you." Zuko sputters out with embarrassment when he realizes he was caught up in his own thoughts again.

"Of course, sir."

The royal carriage quickly begins its journey back to the Fire Nation palace as the monstrous storm rages on with a heavy downpour now falling on the city.

* * *

"Okay class, we're all done for today." declares Katara as she finished up her lesson. "All of you did excellent, and I look forward to seeing your progress the next time we meet. Take care until then, class dismissed."

The juvenile and child students let out an amalgam of gratitude, cheers, and farewells whenever the blue-eyed waterbender releases her class. Some of them instantly sprint out to go play or return home while others take their time to gather up their coats and other belongings. Once everyone is gone, Katara takes her time to clean up the hut and it's spotless by the time she's done. The brown-haired girl admires her own work with a content smile.

"Well, that's finally done. I'm sure Aang will be done here soon too." After putting on her coat, Katara heads off in the direction of her family's shared living room hut to wait for the Avatar. On her way there, she makes a pitstop by one of the large steels buildings to see an old friend. Katara slides the metallic door shut behind her once she's inside. The spacious room is softly lit by a few hanging lanterns and is at a surprisingly comfortable temperature due to the way it is insulated. As she moves to the center of the room, the blue-eyed waterbender is met with an affectionate lick from a giant tongue then an excited bellow.

"Hey Appa, good to see you too." replies Katara as she hugs the fluffy head of the sky bison. "Just came by to check up on you. How are you today?"

"RAAAH!" calls out Appa followed by him calmly smacking his jowls.

"Uh huh, so just a little cooped up and hungry."

The air nomad beast simply nods his head in response.

"Let me grab you some hay to eat. And I'm sure Aang will find some time to take you out here later." Katara goes over to a large storage closet along the inside of the metallic building and begins hauling some haybales out to her hungry friend. The young Water Tribe woman shuts the closet up nice and tight when she's done, otherwise Appa will end up eating through all his food and make himself sick like last time. The sky bison happily munches away on the dried foliage while Katara refills his water trough. After she's finishes, Katara cleans herself up and makes her way for the door. "Take care, Appa. I'll see you again here later."

Appa replies with a content growl then brings his attention back to his food.

The waterbender enters her family's hut and settles down on a furred lounge. Some time passes by and her boyfriend still hasn't made it back. As she continues to relax, Katara can't stop a long yawn from escaping her.

"I guess I'm more tired out than I *yawn* thought. I'll try to stay up until *yawn* Aang gets back. Then we can take a nap together." Despite her words, she feels her eyelids growing heavy and lets them close. 'I'll just rest my eyes for a bit.' In the next moment, Katara doesn't even realize when she drifts off to sleep.

When she reopens them, blue eyes stare out into an empty courtyard of the what looks like the Fire Nation palace. The vast sky is a foreboding shade of red. Pillars and parts of the walls are destroyed as if a battle had just occurred. Embers and rubble lay scattered all around with the strong smell of smoke filling the air. The entire area is quiet aside from the crackling of burning wood. Katara takes a few steps out toward the center of the courtyard surveying her surroundings closer. Everything appears exactly the way it did in the aftermath of her and Zuko's battle against Azula on the day of Sozin's Comet.

'Why am I here?'

A sudden crash of thunder from behind her causes the waterbender to swiftly turn around with a defensive stance at the ready. She sees only empty hallways and shadows from torches. Her nerves are on edge and Katara knows she should calm down, but she can't shake the eerie feeling of something being wrong.

"Katara."

Goosebumps run through the young woman's body as she turns back to the center of the courtyard where a familiar voice spoke. Her eyes catch sight of a lone figure standing in the courtyard. Katara immediately feels all the fear and tension leave her body when she realizes who it is. Wearing the same burnt clothes from that day, the dark-haired young man with a burn scar on his face is holding a hand over the starshaped mark on his chest. He appears to be exhausted and in pain but still makes the effort to smile at his friend.

"Zuko." Katara lets out a sigh of relief then smiles tenderly back at him.

Upon seeing him, Katara begins to realize how much she has missed Zuko. She hasn't seen the new Fire Lord in several months and now that he is right here in front of her, the waterbender's mind overflows with a vast array of things she wants to talk with him about. To catch up and share stories on their current lives, to see how each of their peoples and nations are doing, to spend time reminiscing about their past adventures, to just have a meal and laugh together like old times are all activities and conversations she wants to do with Zuko. In the year after the war ended, the only time she had heard from her firebender friend was when he sent a letter addressed to the entire group giving them a brief update of his life and duties in the Fire Nation along with his adjustment to now being a political ruler.

Katara fondly remembers the last time her and her friends were all together was at Iroh's teashop in Ba Sing Se. They had finished celebrating their victory party where her and Aang had shared an intimate moment on the balcony as the sun set. While they were cleaning up, Iroh delivered her a note from Zuko. The kind old uncle said he didn't know what it was about and just that his nephew told him it was important that it got to Katara. Knowing where that memory would lead to causes a guilty blush to appear on the waterbender's face and she forces herself to stop it from surfacing. Her thoughts refocus on what is happening in the present when she hears Zuko call out to her again.

"Katara." The dark-haired young man stumbles as he tries to take a step towards her.

"Oh Zuko." speaks the young Water Tribe woman in a concerned tone. "Don't move, I'll be right there."

After confirming that her waterskin is on her, Katara starts running out to help her friend. When she's halfway to him, the rumble of thunder startles the waterbender to a halt. In an instant, the booming roars and vicious gales of a raging tempest are all around the two of them. Chills run through her body as she looks over to Zuko, confusion and fear evident in his expression. The Fire Lord looks back at her and mouths something, but she can't hear anything he says over the deafening thunder and howling winds. As she's about to continue moving towards him, Katara watches in shocking horror as an azure bolt of lightning begins arcing its way down directly at the firebender.

"Zuko!"

Katara pushes her body to move as fast as it can to try reaching her friend. Flashes of blue light reflect in her fear filled eyes like it did that day and just like back then, she's helpless in stopping it from happening. She feels tears leaving her eyes as she gets mere inches from Zuko when the lightning shifts into the shape of a dragon and strikes him. Everything becomes quiet in that moment. She hears only dead silence as a bright blinding blast of energy explodes in front of her. The waterbender wakes up in a screaming panic with tears running down her face.

"Katara! Katara!" hollers Aang as he bolts into the room.

The Avatar rushes over to Katara and brings her into a comforting embrace. "It's okay, Katara. I'm here, what's wrong?"

At first, all she is trying to do is catch her breath and slow down her racing heartbeat. She cries into Aang's shoulder freely letting her sorrow flow out. After a little bit of time passes by, the waterbender feels she has enough strength to speak.

"Thank you, Aang." she says slowly while trying to control her breathing while still fighting back the heaviness in her chest.

"Are you okay?" asks the air nomad as he rubs her back.

"I will be." The brown-haired girl pulls away from the embrace to look at her boyfriend. "Eventually."

"What happened?" questions Aang with a gentle squeeze to her hand.

"I saw… I just, had a really bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. Not really but thank you for being here." Katara gives a caring hug to the airbender then plants a kiss on his cheek.

"You're welcome, Katara. I'll always be there if you need me." Aang feels his face fluster from her affection.

"Actually, would you mind doing me a favor?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Could you bring Gran-Gran and my Dad back here?"

"Got it, I'll be right back!" The Avatar quickly speeds off to go find the two Water Tribe family members.

Now noticing how much she had sweat from the nightmare, Katara heads into her room to change into a clean set of clothes. As she sets aside the worn clothing, the waterbender can't shake the uneasy feeling still looming inside her.

'Why did I have that dream? And why was Zuko there?'

She splashes water onto her face to make the puffy redness in her eyes go away then brushes out her messy hair. Once she's done cleaning herself up, Katara goes to the kitchen and begins preparing some jasmine tea for all of them to drink together. She had sent the Avatar out for a few reasons. One, she wanted to quietly regain her composure without anyone, even her boyfriend, seeing how much of a mess she looked. Two, part of her really wanted some familial support around her right now after that traumatizing dream. Three, the young Water Tribe woman knew she still needed to have a talk with Aang but after what just happened, she is exhausted and feels like she lacks the willpower to do it alone. Plus, her father is the one that wanted to talk things out with Aang in the first place so she feels like he should be involved in that conversation. At least, that's what the waterbender tells herself even though she did say she would talk to Aang for him earlier. Anyways, this could also prove to be a good bonding experience for everyone. While the water is boiling, Katara slices up some moon peaches onto a plate for them to snack on with their tea. The kettle sounds off right as she finishes gathering up everything onto a tray.

'Good timing.' The young Water Tribe woman places the kettle into a safe carrier then gradually brings it all over to the living space. As she settles down into a seat, Katara decides to go ahead and pour herself a cup of tea until they arrive. With the warm cup in her hands, she pauses to take in the pleasantly sweet aroma. She recalls that Zuko gave this particular tea to them, a special blend made by his uncle. She drinks some of the hot beverage and it slightly helps in calming her but Katara's thoughts linger on the recent nightmare.

'I haven't had a dream like that in a long time.' She regretfully remembers with clarity having nightmares like those after Aang was struck by lightning from Azula and again when Zuko suffered the same fate. It took time before she didn't have any more of those dreadful dreams and she was grateful when they did stop. This dream however felt different somehow. In her past nightmares, it was always like reliving a memory but this one felt more terrifying. It takes her a moment to realize that the storm was the cause. Just recalling the relentless roars of thunder sends a shiver down her spine. The storm itself felt less like a force of nature and more akin to a malevolent beast. The lightning even took the form of a dragon and it felt alive, destructive, and ravenous. Katara takes another drink of her tea then stares out through a window of the hut in the direction of the Fire Nation.

"I hope you're okay, Zuko." When she speaks those words, Katara sounds a lot less optimistic than she wants to be. She lets out a long mental sigh then tries to keep herself from being troubled by it. 'I shouldn't worry, it was just a dream after all. And besides, Zuko can take of himself. He's one of the most powerful benders I know. Plus, he has friends and people there with him to help. Not that he would ever ask any of them.'

The waterbender lets out an internal giggle to herself as she imagines how awkward her dark-haired friend would be genuinely trying to ask for help from someone. Katara smirks at first then another thought comes to mind. Besides Iroh, Zuko has never really asked anyone else close to him for help except for her. She remembers how his uncle recommended he take someone with him to face Azula. The young firebender didn't even hesitate for a second before asking her to go with him. That Zuko was willing to put his trust in her makes Katara feel special when she thinks about that moment. Her face quickly starts to become flustered from that special feeling with Katara soon realizing it.

'No. It's not like that. Stop that.' The Water Tribe girl shakes her head in order to make the blushing thoughts go away. 'I just… have a lot of things on my mind, so it's okay for me to be worried about him. As a friend. And that's it.'

"Hey Katara! Guess who's here?!" announces the excited voice of Aang from beyond the entrance of the hut. The air nomad appears an instant later gingerly guiding along Kanna and Chief Hakoda into the living area. "Your Dad and Gran-Gran!"

"Katara." speaks the elderly woman softly as she goes over to give her granddaughter a hug. "Aang said you needed us. What is it, my dear?"

"Is anything wrong, Katara?" asks the Water Tribe chief with a caring hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"Everything's fine." answers the waterbender as she gives a reassuring squeeze to both of her family members' hands. "If everyone could just take a seat and get comfortable first, I'll explain everything. I also have tea and fruit ready."

"Ooh tea." declares Aang as he settles down. "And moon peaches."

The moment Aang picks up one of the peach slices, Momo darts out from the Avatar's clothes and takes off with Aang's slice to other side of the room. The lemur perches itself onto the top of a chair as it happily nibbles away at the fruit. "Momo! I was going to get you one!"

Momo pauses in his eating to look up at his bender companion. He lets out a chitter at him before going back to his peach slice.

"I guess you'll learn self-control eventually." responds the air nomad as he grabs another peach slice and pours himself a cup of tea.

"Thank you, Katara." states Gran-Gran as she makes her way to sit down. Katara politely makes a cup for her grandmother and another for her father while they sit down and eat some of the peaches. Once everyone is seated, they all take some time eating and enjoying the refreshments.

Hakoda takes a deep drink of his tea then looks over to his daughter. "So what's this about, Katara?"

"Well Dad, you remember that thing you talked with me about earlier?" asks the waterbender as she motions with her eyes at Aang.

The Water Tribe chief cocks an eyebrow. "Uh huh. And what about it?"

"Since this involves the tribe, I thought that we could talk this out together as a family."

"That sounds good, dear." interjects Kanna with a kind tone. "What are we needing to talk about?"

"If that's what you think is best." adds Hakoda with a halfhearted smile.

"I do." replies Katara with a nod. "Aang, we need to have a talk."

"Hmm." The air nomad stops what he's doing and turns to look at all of them. Aang's cheeks look like two balloons ready to burst because he was in the middle of a contest with Momo over who could stuff more peach slices into their mouths. The Avatar pushes his enlarged cheeks together forcing down all the fruit into his gullet. He's unable to keep back a burp from coming out and blushes in embarrassment after he releases it. "Sorry, excuse me. So, umm, what did we need to talk about?"

"I'll start." Katara pauses for a breath to calm her nerves. "Aang…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. I'm always open to any reviews or criticisms people leave me. I appreciate any comments on my work. - Vergil


	2. Downfall

Chapter 2: Downfall

The first light of the rising sun breaks over the horizon of Ba Sing Se as a kind old retired general hums a relaxing tune while preparing two cups of tea for himself and his friend. His friend is separating out the tile pieces for them and readying the game board. Being firebenders, the two elderly gentlemen are accustomed to being up early in the morning.

"Tea is ready." Iroh declares as he brings over the tea tray and sets it down on a table adjacent to the pai sho board.

"Mmm, magnificent." responds Jeong Jeong after taking an inhale of the beverage's aroma. "And I have the game all set for us."

The two men seat themselves opposite each other and take a moment to sip their fresh cups of tea.

"It's good to see you, Jeong Jeong. I'm glad you could find the time to come by and visit."

"It's good to see you too, Iroh. I was in the capital seeing Piandao and he suggested I go and see you as well. I thought why not? I'm not doing anything else with my time since the war ended." The old firebender lets out a chuckle.

"I understand, this time of peace has been quite a blessing. I never thought I would get to enjoy retirement. And now, you no longer have to hide in a hole as a wanted man by the Fire Nation." teases Iroh with a hearty laugh.

"Same goes for you, old friend. At least, they never caught me while I was on the run."

"I let myself get caught." replies Iroh confidently. "It was the only way I could stay close to Zuko. That, and it may or may not have been the only plan I could come up with at the time."

"So you were just improvising?"

"I like to call it spontaneous strategy."

The two of them share a good laugh together.

"While you were in the capital, did you get a chance to see my nephew?"

"I did." Jeong Jeong pauses to take a drink. "He seems… busy."

"And?"

"He's trying. I can see he's putting a lot of effort into being the Fire Lord, one much different and better than your brother. You raised him well. But…"

Iroh simply looks over at his friend waiting for him to continue.

"But I can also see the toll his position is taking on him. Being Fire Lord is not something to be taken lightly, and it's not something most would be willing to accept without becoming corrupt and abusing their power. Your nephew is doing his best to make amends for our mistakes and the mistakes of our ancestors. It is a heavy burden he bears for one so young. I do believe he will be a great leader one day, but it will take time. I just hope he can endure the trial by fire he now faces. Are you sure you shouldn't have been Fire Lord?"

"I can understand where you are coming from, my friend. But this is Zuko's destiny. As difficult as it is, being Fire Lord is just as much an opportunity for him as it is an obstacle. The struggles he faces from it each day gives him purpose and motivation to keep pushing forward. With the responsibility of being Fire Lord, it sharpens Zuko's mind and strengthens his spirit, to become a leader that both the Fire Nation and the world needs and deserves. And most of all, it helps him in understanding who he wants to be. My aspiration and desire to be Fire Lord ended here in Ba Sing Se the day I failed to protect my own son."

A heavy silence falls between them. For a long moment, nothing is said between the two firebenders until Jeong Jeong speaks up.

"You know, you would have made the laziest Fire Lord." jokes the old man with a smirk.

"What? I would have been a great Fire Lord." teases back Iroh with a smile.

"You wanted to make a national Tea Holiday."

"Free tea for everyone, what's not to love?"

"And a competitive pai sho team in every school."

"It's a great game for all ages that will enrich their growing young minds."

"The vacation ship cruises between the capital and the Ember Islands."

"It would make great profit and tourism for all of the Fire Nation."

"You're still the same as ever, Iroh." states Jeong Jeong with a laugh. "I would have been proud to serve under you."

"You still can. I could hire you at my tea shop."

"I'd scare most of your customers away."

"Ha! If Zuko could do it, I'm sure you would do just fine."

"I may take you up on that if Piandao doesn't stop trying to convince me to join the Fire Nation council."

"I think you would make a great councilman!"

"You know I always hated politics."

"All the more reason for you to do it. You would bring a fresh perspective."

"I'll join the council when you decide to come out of retirement."

They share another amusing laugh between them.

"Speaking of work," begins Jeong Jeong, "do you not need to open up your shop today?"

"Here in a few hours but right now, I'm enjoying the company of a good friend." replies Iroh while raising his teacup in a toast.

"Thank you for having me, old friend." speaks Jeong Jeong while raising his own cup to toast.

"Thank you for coming by."

The two gentlemen finish off the rest of their cups then refill them.

"Would you like to make the first move?" Jeong Jeong motions to the pai sho board.

"You are my guest. The first move is yours."

"Ah but you made the tea, so I insist."

"Well if you insist." smiles Iroh as he pauses for a moment then plays one of his tile pieces. After placing his piece on the board, a sudden breeze blows in from the window next to them carrying with it a small white particle. The particle floats down onto Iroh's tile melting away into liquid after it lands. Both firebenders see what just occurred and look up at each other. The two of them quickly head to the window. Iroh and Jeong Jeong are surprised and shocked by what they witness. Countless cold pearls of white cascade down all over the city. The old general holds out his hand catching one of the tiny white orbs as it is falling.

"Snow."

They continue to stare out perceiving layers of snow and ice already forming on the rooftops and streets of Ba Sing Se. Off in the distance, they hear the muffled sounds of combat deafened by the snowfall.

"Something is very wrong." Jeong Jeong's warm breath appears in front of him as he speaks.

"Indeed. We should make our way to the Earth King." Iroh says cautiously. Jeong Jeong nods back in agreement. The two old firebenders hastily leave from the teashop towards the Earth King's palace.

* * *

Zuko opens his eyes looking upward into the cloudless night sky. The full moon is radiant with an endless number of stars complementing it. The Fire Lord feels a cool breeze gently flow through the space around him. He feels a delicate hand intertwine with his own. Zuko looks over to see who it is and is unable to keep from smiling upon seeing her face. She has cocoa brown skin with beautiful blue eyes. Her brown hair still looks the same way it did the last time he saw her. The lovely young woman is smiling back at him.

"Katara." He speaks in a soft tone almost at a whisper.

"Zuko." Katara replies affectionately as she brings Zuko into an embrace.

The dark-haired young man is stunned at first. He feels heat rush to his face and his heart beats wildly inside his chest. He's almost unsure of what exactly is happening, and it takes him a moment to process before he brings the waterbender into a tighter embrace. Without thinking, Zuko runs his hand through Katara's wavy hair enjoying its soft warmth as he does. He closes his eyes and nestles his head against hers. The familiar scent of fresh rain and ocean air fill Zuko's senses as he holds her. Katara moves her hand up to caress the scarred side of his face. The young ruler instinctively leans into her gentle touch.

"I've missed you, Zuko." says the waterbender as she pulls away to look up at the Fire Lord.

"I've missed you too, Katara."

The firebender reopens his eyes to gaze at his friend. As he does this, Zuko notices she is dressed differently from her usual attire. Realization comes to him as he looks her over. She is dressed like the woman Kyanna from the play. He then examines himself and sees that he is adorned in red armor and clothing matching Zenko. Fear and panic start to build up inside of him. The young man starts to scan the area around them trying to discern where they are. It takes only a second before he realizes that they are standing in the middle of a bridge.

'Oh no.'

"Zuko, what's wrong?"

"Katara, we need to get out of here before–"

A thunderclap cuts off the rest of his words. Without warning, the starry night sky succumbs to dark storm clouds. A ferocious tempest is on them in an instant. As the storm intensifies, shadowy humanoid figures appear on both ends of the bridge. Glowing violet eyes are the only discernable features on the shadow people. The two benders stand back to back and ready into fighting stances.

"I won't let them hurt you." promises Zuko.

"We'll get through this together."

Despite their dire circumstances, the Fire Lord wants to smile knowing that Katara is with him. Zuko carefully watches the shadows as they creep across the wooden bridge, ready to strike when they're in range. Their dark bodies spasm and contort erratically as they move in closer. The firebender takes a slow deep breath to calm himself as he prepares to unleash an attack. He focuses his eyes on a target and as he's about to launch a fireball, the young man feels a concussive blast hit the floor right beside him. The thunderous force knocks him off the bridge but while falling, he's able to grab onto a rope still connected to the bridge. Zuko is now hanging midair off the wooden structure.

"Zuko!"

The young Water Tribe woman bolts over to her friend and takes a hold of the rope readying to pull him back up. Before she can, the shadows swiftly swarm across the platform. They make it to Katara in seconds and begin dragging her away from Zuko.

"Katara!"

"Let go of me!"

The waterbender struggles with all her might against the overwhelming force of faceless foes. Katara is eventually able to break free from some of their grasps and when she gains enough room to move, she waterbends those she can away or off the bridge entirely. When she sees the chance, Katara attempts to reach Zuko again, but the mass of shadows appears just as quickly with another horde of hands latching onto her.

"Get away from her!" furiously yells out Zuko as he fights to pull himself back up on the bridge. The firebender makes progress and as he nears the edge, Zuko sees Katara reaching out for him. He extends his hand out to grasp hers. Before they can connect, a bolt of lightning strikes his hand. An all too familiar agonizing pain surges through Zuko's body. He loses his grip. He falls only able to watch on in horror as the shadows continue to pull Katara away from him. Time seems to slow down as he's falling. Everything suddenly becomes silent for Zuko as he feels himself descend into the darkness of the abyss. He feels a flood of tears escaping from his eyes as he just screams.

The Fire Lord's eyes shift wide open as he jolts up in his bed. His body is drenched in a cold sweat and his breathing is heavy. He carefully scans the area around him before realizing that he's in his bedroom. He hears thunder and sees flashes of lightning causing him to scowl. Zuko then notices his tears and wipes them away with a bedsheet. Feeling the rapid beating in his chest, he heads into his washroom to help make his uneasiness go away. After splashing some water on his face, the young man uses a towel to dry himself off and changes to a new set of clothes to sleep in. Once he's mostly composed and his heartbeat is calmed down, Zuko returns to his bed and sits down on the edge.

"Katara." That's the first word to leave his lips. "I guess I wasn't able to keep her out of my head." The dark-haired ruler runs his hands through his messy hair then falls back onto the bed.

'Stupid play. Stupid storm. Stupid dream.'

As he thinks about that last part, Zuko's mind goes back to the moment when he first saw the waterbender. He reflects on how elegant and beautiful she looked along with the way they held each other. Subconsciously, Zuko brings his hand up to his scar remembering the gentle warmth of Katara's hand on it. His entire face starts to blush as he thinks about his friend.

'It wasn't all bad. But… you need to stop thinking about her.'

He rubs his face in frustration then turns his head to look at his nightstand. Zuko's eyes focus on the drawer for what seems like several minutes. Eventually, he lets out a sigh, gets to his feet, and moves over to the wooden furniture. The firebender reaches a hand for the drawer but stops before opening it. Part of him is hesitating, telling him to not think about what's hidden inside and just go back to bed. Another part of his mind tells him that it's okay and that he needs it only for a moment to alleviate his troubled thoughts from the recent nightmare. He gives in to the other voice and opens the drawer. Sliding his hand in, Zuko effortlessly finds the removable panel hidden at the top. He shifts the panel aside and grabs hold of something wrapped with care in a red velvet cloth. The Fire Lord sets the wrapped object down on the nightstand as he settles back onto his bed. He undoes the cloth revealing the object to be the Water Tribe necklace of Katara. A flood of memories rushes into Zuko's mind when he sees Katara's necklace. He gently takes hold of the sentimental piece of jewelry and brings it up to his forehead. Closing his eyes to focus, Zuko imagines the waterbender's comforting presence next to him. He detects the faint scent of Katara from her necklace calming his nerves when he does. He then tries thinking of things the young Water Tribe woman would say to him about how he was handling himself. Zuko hears a concerned assertive tone in her voice mixed in with an equal amount of teasing playfulness and kind support. The firebender smiles at the thought and lets out a deep breath.

Feeling ready to return to bed, Zuko places the necklace down on the cloth preparing to wrap it back up when he hears the unmistakable sound of metal loudly creaking outside. The Fire Lord knows he has heard a sound like that before. He presumes it to be a bolt of lightning striking one of the city's metal watchtowers and possibly causing some structural damage to it. Still, Zuko feels the urge to go out onto his patio balcony and see if he can spot where the storm struck. The dark-haired young man subconsciously picks up the Water Tribe necklace, bundles it up in the red cloth, and tucks it away to an inner pocket of his tunic. As he opens the door to exit his bedchamber, Zuko is greeted by a strong gust of wind. His eyes take a moment to adjust to the dark environment. His balcony is somewhat dry, able to prevent him from getting completely soaked. He ignites the nearby oil lanterns to provide better lighting for himself. After he finishes, Zuko stares out over the capital scanning for any signs of a damaged building. In between the lightning flashes, he makes out only glimpses of lanterns and torchlights in the distance along with an array of something else. Trying to ignore the illumination from the storm, the Fire Lord blinks a few times then squints to make sure he's not seeing things.

"That… That can't be…"

The Fire Lord's mind comes to a halt as he realizes what's happening in front of him. He sees bolts of lightning not coming down from the skies but rather shooting out across the streets and striking people. As he observes further, Zuko discerns the arcs of electricity are coming from multiple individuals throughout the entirety of the city.

"They're… bending lightning."

From his vantage point, the young ruler watches the mysterious assailants advancing swiftly through the vacant spaces attacking with surprise and moving on as quickly as they appeared. Their movements are highly trained and coordinated. Using the concealment of the storm to their advantage, the assailants ambush the Fire Nation soldiers with each lightning flash and they snuff out any retaliation the soldiers make without hesitation. Any firebenders attempting to fight back are at a major disadvantage with the range of their flames weakened by the heavy rain.

"We're under attack. I have to–" begins Zuko as he starts to head back into his room. Before he finishes his sentence, the firebender catches out of the corner of his eye a vivid blue spark. He instinctively rolls just barely avoiding a discharge of lightning as it strikes his door. Zuko's muscle memory kicks in as he goes with the momentum of the roll and easily tumbles back onto his feet. The young man readies into a fighting stance as he shifts his eyes in the direction of his attacker. He sees a tall man dressed in dark navy clothing with most of his face hidden behind a draconic azure mask. As the last sparks of electricity fade away from his hands, the man's cold blue eyes meet the golden ones of the Fire Lord.

"Who are you?!" aggressively demands Zuko.

The masked man doesn't respond with words but instead starts to bend lightning with his hands again. Zuko takes a slow breath and readies himself to redirect it. When he finishes calling forth the lightning, the mask man brings it together between his hands and condenses it into an orb.

'What is he doing?'

He then forces the orb of lightning into his own chest. As he does this, the lightning creates an aura around the masked man with the electrical energy shifting freely between the man's silver shin and armguards.

Zuko's eyes widen in shock. 'Did he just absorb lightning into his body?'

Noticing the Fire Lord's surprised expression, the lightningbender charges forward at him.

* * *

In Ba Sing Se, the weather continues to worsen, basically being a full-blown blizzard now. The two elderly firebenders are nearly to the Earth King's royal palace. On their trek there, they search around for citizens, guards, and any signs of the city on alarm. They find what they are looking for but not in the way they hope. The signal bells of the watchtowers are frozen solid, and townspeople are either running away or cowering in fear. Any military forces and guards they happen to come across are half buried in the ground or trapped in prisons of ice. Jeong Jeong and Iroh use their firebending to thaw those they can while still trying to hurry their way to the Earth King. Among the people willing to speak with the master firebenders, no one has any information on the identities of the attackers. The two members of the White Lotus have their suspicions based on what they've seen, but they aren't jumping to any conclusions until they can confirm the threat firsthand.

"How close are we, my friend?" asks Jeong Jeong as they keep pushing on through the wintry squall.

"Almost there. We are nearly to the courtyard."

It is not long before the two firebenders step into the immense and ornate courtyard of the royal palace. As they cautiously walk in, they both immediately take notice of the several unconscious bodies of Earth Kingdom soldiers. The fresh battlefield is also littered with broken weapons, shattered stone, and chunks of ice.

"Who could have done this?" questions Jeong Jeong in dismay.

"I believe we will find the answer somewhere in the palace." replies Iroh as he motions to the broken-down front doors.

When they move past the mangled lumber of the palace doors, the elderly men hear a weak voice call out to them.

"P-P-Please…"

Iroh and Jeong Jeong spot a military officer frozen to the wall nearby. In seconds, they melt the ice off and help the man down. The weak soldier can't stop shivering as he sits slump against a wall.

"Th-thank y-y-you."

"Please take the time to rest." states Iroh as he kneels and creates a fire in his hands to help warm the officer up. "If you have the strength, could you tell us what happened here?"

The Earth Kingdom soldier gives a slow nod. "W-w-we were at-t-tacked. They… they c-c-came without w-warning. They knew exactly when and where to strike. We couldn't stop them. We were trying to help the Earth King escape. But then… those two appeared."

"Which two?" asks Jeong Jeong.

"The two women. I believe… they're the commanders. They wiped out… everyone in the courtyard. They're… heading for… the throne room. The royal bodyguard… and anyone left is… with his Majesty."

The soldier is fading in strength, barely able to stay conscious.

"Please save your energy and rest now." speaks Iroh in a gentle tone.

"Please… protect… the Earth King." states the officer before passing out.

"We have no time to waste." declares the former fire general who then begins sprinting towards the throne room with Jeong Jeong following beside him.

As they make haste, the firebenders realize that the large hallways are either empty or strewn about with the unconscious bodies of more palace guards. Iroh and Jeong Jeong eventually make it to the throne room doors and burst through them. They instantly start to look around for the Earth King while also trying to assess the situation. Attempting to hide behind his throne, the Earth King Kuei is peeking out from the stone chair with his bear companion Bosco right behind him. The two of them appear distraught and frightened. Scattered around the vast room are more defeated bodies of Earth Kingdom soldiers and benders.

An earthbender stands alone against two assailants near the center of the room. The earthbender is a young man wearing a forest green headband with long dark brown hair parted evenly in the front. His eyes are a vibrant green with just a triangular soul patch of facial hair on his youthful demeanor. He is dressed in the traditional colors of the Earth Kingdom with studded leather armguards and a matching studded leather belt. His attire has some decorative military badges and other royal accessories denoting his rank within the kingdom. He is clearly tired from combat against his two opponents with each breath he takes becoming more labored as time passes. The two assailants are both women. Adorned in a white and black uniform, one of the women has blood red eyes and silvery white hair with the lower part of her pale face hidden behind an ebony scarf. The other woman has amber gold eyes and ornately braided, tawny brown hair with a translucent red veil lightly concealing her alluring tan features. Vermilion feathers decorating her hair, she is dressed in a bright red robe with golden trim and accents. The three of them seem to have paused momentarily in the middle of their battle.

"Come now, boy. Don't tell me you're tired already. I was just starting to have fun with you." taunts the woman in red.

"I could do this all day." remarks the young earthbender smugly.

"You have no chance of succeeding." states the pale woman stoically who then turns her head to examine the two elderly firebenders. "Melati, we have two more adversaries."

"You deal with them, Yukino." replies the red woman as she keeps her attention on the earthbender. "I'll make you an offer. If you surrender now and bow down at my feet, I promise to give you a reward you will definitely enjoy."

The young man feels his face become flush from her implications and swallows nervously as he tries to not think about his teenage hormones.

"Haru! Get back!" calls out the voice of Iroh.

Without hesitating, Haru brings up a column of earth under his feet and launches himself off the stone to retreat. Once they see the earthbender is a safe distance away, Iroh and Jeong Jeong unleash a wave of flames at the two women. Yukino summons forth a wall of ice to defend herself and her companion. The frozen wall withstands the intense wave of fire and they cancel each other out causing a field of steam to flood the room.

With a look of surprise, both Iroh and Jeong Jeong have the same thought come to their minds. 'She can create ice.'

Realizing they are different from whom they've fought so far, Melati shifts around to face the firebenders. "That wasn't very nice. Attacking a fair maiden with her back turned, how could you?" speaks the red woman with feigned fear.

"My deepest apologies, my lady." responds Iroh courteously. "We thought it only fair to make this an even match, considering it was two against one. I ensure you that I will face you properly this time." The former general takes a few steps forward and readies himself into a defensive stance.

"We were merely playing with the poor boy. But perhaps, you can prove to be more fun." answers back Melati with a lick of her lips. "Shall we dance then?"

"Ladies first."

"Such a gentleman."

Melati dashes forward at Iroh readying to strike. When she gets within a comfortable distance, she bends up a coil of sand from the ground and whips it at the elderly man from his flank.

'Sandbending.' realizes Iroh as he counters with a blast of flame. As he prepares to strike again, he notices too late that the woman has closed in and is sending another attack right at him. Before it can reach, the old general blows fire out from his mouth to stop the attack then follows up with an arc of flames to force the sandbender back.

"Isn't that a neat trick?" comments Melati as she lands gracefully on her feet after backing off.

"You will find that I am full of surprises."

"As am I."

The sandbender wastes no time in charging again to reengage with Iroh. While the two of them fight, Jeong Jeong and Yukino are patiently staring at each other. The old firebender is the first to speak.

"Stand down. I don't want to have to hurt you."

"I could say the same for you. I'm sorry but you won't win."

"I guess I have no other choice." responds Jeong Jeong as he readies into a bending stance.

"No, you don't." A cold breath comes from Yukino as she readies herself.

The old firemaster unleashes a barrage of three fire blasts at the icebender. Yukino counters with two balls of ice to stop the first two attacks then brings up another ice wall to stop the third. With the wall still intact, she launches the entire wall like a projectile at the firebender. He conjures up a large fireball and sends it at the wall. Running after his attack, Jeong Jeong gets in close bending more fire into the ball as he does, causing it to shatter the ice and propel towards Yukino. She swiftly cartwheels out of the way and hurls an icicle in the old man's direction. Jeong Jeong counters with a firebolt with the two attacks colliding and ending. The two opponents rush at each other to come to blows again.

In the midst of combat, Iroh throws out a masterful combination of strikes to make his opponent go on the defensive then looks over to his allies. "Haru, take the Earth King to safety!"

"I can still help!"

"No, you have done more than enough. We need your strength to defend the Earth King. You must escape and alert the Avatar!"

"We can handle it from here!" adds in Jeong Jeong. "Leave now, boy!"

Haru looks as though he is about to argue but stops himself understanding the importance of what he needs to do. "Please come with me, your Majesty." says the young earthbender to Kuei.

"Of course." nods back the Earth king who then looks over to his animal companion. "We have to go, Bosco."

The brown bear growls back in agreement. Haru leads his wards to a space back behind the throne and earthbends a spot on the floor causing it to reveal a secret staircase. "Master Iroh, Master Jeong Jeong, there is a panel you can push behind the throne! Please make it out of here!"

The party of three descend the staircase with the sounds of stone shifting back into place afterwards letting Iroh and Jeong Jeong know that the exit has been sealed off. "It appears that you have lost your target." remarks the old general.

"Oh well, I could always make use for you instead." says Melati confidently as she bends another wave of sand at Iroh.

Iroh counterattacks with another burst of fire. He's been carefully studying how the red woman fights and it's unlike any other sandbenders he has ever seen before. The sand she bends with seems to move through the earth alongside her almost like it's alive. It can alter the stone it comes into contact with into sand allowing Melati to continually bend the coarse material from the ground and use it in the exact same way any earthbender could. Even more concerning is the elegant deadliness she performs her attacks. Without any wasted motion, she uses a wide variety of strikes, wristlocks, and body control while constantly closing in on Iroh at a rapid pace. The woman herself brings a deceptive style to combat adding in feints and unpredictable movements. The White Lotus member knows he cannot keep up if the battle carries on like this.

"After all, this isn't a complete loss." The red woman pauses her onslaught. "Do you believe that just the two of you can save this city after it's already fallen?"

"Of course not, but this old man will do all he can to stall for time. And possibly defeat an enchanting sandbender if he's lucky." Iroh smiles and winks.

Melati responds with a playful laugh. "You have proven quite entertaining despite your appearance."

"Why thank you. It's thanks to all the tea."

"I may have you make some for me later on, after I force you to submit."

"I'd be happy to make some for you now if we could put an end to all this fighting between us."

"How sweet of you to offer but sorry, I can't. I'm under orders and I don't plan on disappointing him any further. Although, I will request mercy be granted to you after this is over."

"Disappoint who?" questions Iroh as he prepares to fight again.

"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough." Melati performs a nimble spin to create a sandpit at Iroh's feet causing him to sink in. The firebender attempts to free his legs, but the sand tightens its hold on Iroh and pulls him down further.

"Impressive maneuver. You almost had me." comments the former general as he quickly rotates his arms and body to generate a fiery tornado around himself. The force from his bending causes Iroh to launch up into the air from the sinking ground. Once he comes back down, Iroh lands in a wide stance to make sure his feet aren't touching the sand trap. He dashes forward with a flurry of flames that knock Melati to the floor. Looking down at her, the old firebender stands with his fists ready to deliver the finishing blow.

"Now, I offer you the chance to surrender."

"You act as though you've already won. Love your bravado, but this is far from over." She makes a quick gesture with her fingers causing a patch of sand to shift under one of Iroh's feet. He loses his footing and slips for a moment but then leaps away and regains his balance. As the firebender is distracted, Melati motions with her hands and bends sand around herself. Just as Iroh brings his attention back on her, she sinks into the ground and vanishes.

Meanwhile, the other two benders have been clashing back and forth with neither side gaining an upper hand. An intense storm of fire and ice erupting from their battle. Jeong Jeong has been watching the icebender trying to understand her fighting style and find an effective way to fight it. She changes efficiently between stationary stances and fluid ones as though she has spent countless hours practicing them. Most of her attacks consist of punches, chops, and palm strikes with a minor mix of kicks in her arsenal as well. Yukino's strongest point with her icebending is in the flawless precision she executes each technique. Along with that, her stoic personality is focused and unyielding in combat against the old firebending master. With all that in mind, Jeong Jeong knows he can't risk making any mistakes and needs to defeat his opponent soon or else this will be the end for him.

"You are well trained." states the firebender stalling to catch a breath.

The pale woman pauses to respond. "As are you. You are a formidable warrior, but you are at a disadvantage."

"How so?"

"Your age is beginning to take a toll on your body. You show signs of difficulty breathing and keep requiring more time to recover from my attacks as the duration of this conflict continues. This moment is an example of that."

"You're very perceptive." admits Jeong Jeong as he involuntarily feels his old muscles ache.

"Likewise. You've also been studying my combat techniques attempting to find weaknesses and strategize to counterattack. If I was less experienced and you were closer to your prime, this battle would possibly be more in your favor."

The old firebender can't help but laugh a little. "You may be right, but we're not finished yet. Prepare yourself, young one."

"Whenever you are ready."

Jeong Jeong smirks as he rushes at his opponent. When the firebender gets within range, he produces a flame tendril on each of his arms then begins whipping them at Yukino. She weaves in and out skillfully evading each strike. When she's finally not dodging, the pale woman retaliates by throwing several sharp icicles at her adversary. He brings his fiery arms up to block the icy projectiles. While he is blocking, Yukino encases her arms in blades of ice then closes in on him. With her blades, she swings both of them at Jeong Jeong who barely ducks out of the way. He counterattacks by spinning with his whips forcing the icebender to back off and give himself breathing room again. The old firebender follows up by raising his arms together above his head then slams the fire he's controlling down in front of him causing a pillar of flames to shoot out towards the pale woman. As the fire rushes at her, Yukino brings her icy blades in front of her body then bends them together into a shield. The force of the flame pillar pushes the icebender back until her shield breaks knocking her down to the floor. Jeong Jeong moves up preparing to end the battle but as he does, the old firebender feels something restraining him. When he looks down, he spots a coil of sand wrapped around his foot. He readies to blast the sand away when he feels more sand spiral around his waist. Before he has a chance to react, Jeong Jeong is flung across the room directly at Iroh. The former general almost sees his friend's body in time to catch him but falls short and ends up getting knocked to the ground with Jeong Jeong.

On the other side of the room, Yukino snaps back up onto to her feet. Icicle daggers are at the ready between her fingers as she stares over at the two men. She lets the blades of ice break apart then sighs upon realizing what had happened.

"I didn't need your help." declares the pale woman with a hint of annoyance.

The floor next to the icebender begins to swirl around into a sand whirlpool then Melati rises from the vortex. "Oh I'm sure you didn't, but I couldn't resist. Besides, I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to my little Yuki."

The red woman tries to mockingly pat her companion's head, but Yukino brushes her ally's hand away. "I'm not a child, Melati."

"Are you sure about that? You could have fooled me with the way you act around our master and Kai. Plus, you're just so adorable."

"I'm not the one who has been playing around with my opponents."

"Hey, I've been taking our task very seriously. But that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun while we're doing it."

Meanwhile, the two elderly firebenders are taking their time to recuperate.

"Ow, my back." states Iroh as he sits up and begins rubbing the lower part of his backside.

"At least, you weren't the one who was thrown." remarks Jeong Jeong while still lying face down on the floor.

"I would have rather been thrown than be struck with you. It felt like getting hit by a sack full of hard sticks. You really should eat more."

"Now is not the time to worry about my diet." responds the old master as he slowly gets to his feet. He offers a helping hand to his sitting friend. "And what happened with fighting your opponent? You let her toss me across the room."

Iroh shrugs casually before taking Jeong Jeong's hand to stand back up. "She got away from me, sunk right into the ground. What was I supposed to do? Start digging?"

The White Lotus elder simply looks at his friend with an unamused glare.

"Is naptime over?" calls out Melati from the other side of the throne room.

"We were just resting our old muscles." answers back Iroh. "I'm thinking of getting massages after this, would you care to join us?"

"Apologies but we'll be quite busy after this. Perhaps later, once it's not so chilly and we have you serving under us."

"A tempting offer. Are there any benefits to serving?" questions the former general jokingly who is then slapped in the back by Jeong Jeong.

"I'd be more than happy to show you what they are." speaks the red woman in a suggestive tone.

Ignoring her ally, Yukino begins charging at the two firebenders. Melati shrugs then follows in tow right after her.

"Jeong Jeong, do you remember that move you and I did together when we were retaking this city?"

"How could I forget? You nearly burned my hair off."

"We all learn from our mistakes. Let's try it again." speaks Iroh confidently as he readies into a stance.

The other firebender sighs. "…All right. Fine."

Jeong Jeong positions himself in front of his friend and closes his eyes while taking in a slow breath. The White Lotus elder snaps his eyes back open and he leaps into the air. As he does this, Iroh brings his hands under Jeong Jeong's feet and launches him up higher. In midair, Jeong Jeong executes twin simultaneous firebolts while Iroh shifts into a low stance and unleashes two more blasts at the same time. When the old firebender lands, he attacks with an additional pair of fiery projectiles then ducks down to a lower position. The former general bends fire around his hands then brings them right in front of his face. From there, Iroh breathes in deeply then exhales out a powerful flare of heat in the center of the other six flames. The combined attack of the firebenders blazes towards the two women who are unable to properly defend themselves in time. They bring their arms up to shield themselves as best they can from the oncoming fiery impact. However, Iroh and Jeong Jeong's attack doesn't connect and instead is intercepted by a massive wall of ice and sand. The barrier withstands the force of the blast and eventually falls apart. All four benders focus their attention at the doorway where the wall seems to have originated from. The sound of clapping echoes through the empty halls of the palace becoming louder as its source enters the throne room. Adorned in a faded purple cloak, a mysterious figure ambles his way just past the entrance then stops his applause.

"Master." proclaim the two women as they bow before the young man.

The young master courteously nods his head back to his companions in acknowledgement. He then focuses his attention on the two firebenders.

"What a marvelous display of combat prowess!" commends the cloaked young man with open arms. "I've heard the stories, but they fail to do either of you justice when compared to actually witnessing your mastery firsthand. Truly a sight to behold. The Dragon of the West, General Iroh, and the Prodigal Master of Fire, Admiral Jeong Jeong. It is a great honor to meet two legendary members of the White Lotus." He brings his hands together then performs a formal bow to the two elderly gentlemen.

Iroh and Jeong Jeong look to each other with similar expressions of caution and concern. This man has researched into their histories, but he also somehow knew their association with the secretive Order of the White Lotus. Another fearful thought soon crosses their minds. Whoever this man is can bend both ice and sand, something that should not be possible for any normal bender. They casually move closer to the Earth King's throne but remain the same distance away from their opponents. While the firebenders are shifting positions, Melati and Yukino also approach their master and stand beside him. The two groups stand on opposite sides merely observing each other in silence for a brief moment.

Iroh grins and bows his head. "And may I ask, to whom do we have the pleasure of addressing?"

"My apologies for not introducing myself. My name is Yun."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Yun. Would it be alright if we asked you some questions?" inquires the former general as he gives a nod to his fellow firebender.

"Hmm, well I am on somewhat of a schedule but… I suppose I don't mind having the chance to share words with such esteemed individuals. Ask away."

"You have our deepest gratitude. I must say you are very well spoken for someone sounding so young."

Iroh and Jeong Jeong notice a smirk underneath the hood of Yun's cloak. "Appearances can be deceiving. But thank you, I've tried to remain studious and well-informed throughout my lifetime."

"I understand what you mean, and I hope to do the same. Perhaps, I can know your secrets one day." Iroh lets out a hearty laugh.

The young man chuckles back in response. "I'd be more than happy trying to teach you. I'm always willing to help out anyone I can."

"Thank you for the kind offer, but I'll have to see if I can find time to learn when I'm not running my teashop. You stay a lot busier than you'd expect when you own a business."

"I'm sure you're right about that." smiles the young master. "Although, it must be quite a bit easier than commanding an army."

"It depends. I've done both, and now I'm the one taking orders instead of giving them."

Yun lets out a genuine laugh. "You're even more charming and charismatic than I expected you to be. I can clearly see why people hold so much respect and admiration for you."

"Your words are far too kind. And I believe I could say the same for you with your lovely companions. Please forgive me for assuming, but are you the leader for these two fine women?"

"Leader, mentor, and friend. I am fortunate to have them both by my side."

"Are you the one who planned this attack on Ba Sing Se?!" angrily interjects Jeong Jeong with Iroh sighing afterwards as his subtle attempt at diplomacy is now completely gone.

"Indeed I am. You sound rather upset, Master Jeong Jeong."

"Of course I am! You invaded a city, attacked its people, and attempted to capture its leader! Why?! Why have you done all this?!"

The cloaked master simply smirks at first. "Let me begin by assuring you that no harm has come to any noncombatants. We did not attack civilians unless they chose to engage with my people. Any civilians that did take part in combat against us were dealt with in a nonlethal manner. As for the city's military forces, they understand the potential risks and responsibilities that is part of their duty with serving in the Earth Kingdom. We have kept the casualties to a minimum and are continuing our best efforts to incapacitate not eliminate. I am not the Fire Nation come to bring about more conquest and genocide. I have come here to bring salvation to the people of Ba Sing Se."

"Salvation?" questions Jeong Jeong in a skeptical tone. "What do they need to be saved from?"

"Themselves. Human nature. From the endless cycle of conflict, suffering, and chaos they create in this world. And I do not mean just here and now, it's the same everywhere for all humanity since the very beginning. From when we first separated ourselves based on bending, creeds, nations, leaders, and the division goes on and on. I wish to reunite everyone under one world where all of us can exist beyond our differences in perfect harmony and order."

"I can understand your feelings and reasoning. It is a noble dream to have." states Iroh sympathetically. "I'm sure we have all experienced more than our share of hardship and loss in our lifetimes, but I cannot understand or condone the way you are carrying it out. Why sow more strife and pain when it's the very thing you are trying to put an end to?"

Yun responds with a regretful sigh. "Because it's necessary. Change is not an easy concept for people to readily accept. It can be one of the most difficult things for people to want to do for themselves. And that's why I'm here. To help them move forward and change for the better. I will shepherd them every step of the way on this arduous path. In order for this to happen, immediate change is needed. You must tear down the misguided foundations of the past to begin anew."

"What you speak of is nothing but prideful arrogance and madness, boy!" challenges Jeong Jeong.

"Hold your tongue before you lose it." retorts Yukino with irritation in her voice as she readies her ice daggers. The cloaked master raises his arm in front of her signaling the icebender to stand down. She undoes her bending and returns to an obedient posture next to Yun.

"I fully understand your doubts and apprehension towards me. After all, I've given you no reason to trust me, or anything I've said, based on what you've seen from me thus far. Please believe me when I say I find no joy or fulfilment in the controversial actions I carry out. But if you're willing to give me a chance, I can show both of you the truth and purity behind my intentions without any further unnecessary conflict. What say you?"

As Jeong Jeong is about to reply, the former general raises his arm to stop him. The old firebender looks over to his friend and gives an understanding nod.

"It is considerate of you to offer us a chance at peace, and I do not wish to continue this needless fighting either." responds Iroh calmly. "But we must refuse. What you speak of is an idealistic paradise that you would force upon everyone. You believe that what you are doing is for the betterment of mankind and it very well could be, but people must be allowed to make that choice for themselves. It is part of what makes us who we are. If people desire to unite together and strive towards peace and harmony, you must let them decide on their own to take that path and not under the absolute guidance of a single individual no matter how good his intentions may be. Otherwise, you are no different from a tyrant controlling his subjects and ruling over everything under him."

"I see now we cannot reach an accord between us." Yun frowns at first then sighs with disappointment. "You will not stand down, will you?"

"We will not."

The young man pauses for a moment before allowing his cheerful demeanor to return to him. "I'm sorry that we do not travel on the same righteous path, and I'm sorry for what I must do to those who stand against me and my people. Let us proceed then."

Yun brings his hand up and snaps his fingers. Within seconds, numerous warriors march in through the opened doorway. Half of them are wearing black and white uniforms akin to the clothes Yukino is adorned in. The other half of them are all women clad in red and gold attire very much like Melati's outfit. Once the warriors have all entered the room, they stand at attention behind the cloaked master and his two companions. The two old firebenders ready themselves for the inevitable confrontation they are about to face. However, before either side can engage, the loud grinding of stone resounds throughout the throne room. A brown-haired young man appears from the ground behind the royal seat of the Earth King.

"Haru!" declares Iroh in surprise.

"Ah, the bodyguard returns." comments Yun with a smirk.

"We told you to escape, why have you returned?" demands Jeong Jeong.

"I got the Earth King to safety. We waited for the two of you to come to us, but when you weren't showing up, his Majesty grew worried and asked that I go search for you. So that's why I'm here and… oh…" The young earthbender finally notices that the other part of the throne room is occupied by several enemy troops. "…we should probably go."

"Let's hurry away from here, Jeong Jeong." states the former general as he moves toward Haru.

The old firebending master glances over at his allies then turns his attention back onto the opposing force. "No."

"What? Why?"

"I will stay here and buy you some time. We've seen how that sandbender can move through the ground. They will surely catch us if we all try to escape."

"Then I will stay and you go."

"No, you are far too important, my friend." He places a reassuring hand on Iroh's shoulder. "Get to the Avatar and your nephew. Bring all the aid you can."

The White Lotus grandmaster slowly nods back at the old firebender. "Thank you, my friend. I promise you we will return with help as soon as we can."

"Take care, Iroh. Thank you for the tea." Jeong Jeong gives a solemn bow to Iroh then looks to the earthbender. "Haru, you better be able to keep up with him, or he'll leave you behind."

"I understand. I will, sir."

"Good. Now go." orders Jeong Jeong as he strides to the center of the room. Iroh and Haru are about to leave down the stone staircase when they hear a voice call out to them.

"General Iroh."

They both stop to look over at whoever called out. It's none other than the man in the faded cloak.

"If you somehow manage to escape from here, I would be most appreciative if you could give the Avatar my regards. I'm looking forward to meeting him. And I'm sure he'll be quite interested in hearing what I have to say as well." Yun gives a casual farewell wave then turns away from his three adversaries. He speaks again to his comrades just loud enough for only them to hear. "Melati, Yukino, please take care of Master Jeong Jeong for me."

"As you wish, master."

"Of course, master."

"Thank you." The young master takes a single step and stops himself before continuing further. "Oh, and do try to not cause him too much harm. He can still be of use after all."

As Yun leaves from the room. Iroh and Haru exit down through the floor catching one last glimpse of Jeong Jeong as he readies into a stance to fight. The dark brown haired earthbender closes the ground shuts then begins sprinting down the Earth King's emergency escape tunnel with Iroh. While they run, Haru bends more walls behind them in the hopes of slowing down any of their pursuers.

"Haru, are you sure they haven't already found the Earth King down here by himself?" asks the former general.

"I'm pretty sure. They had this special area put in place a short time after the city was liberated from the Fire Nation. No one else should even know that this is here aside from the Earth King's current inner council and his personal guard. We suspect former Dai Li agents or people associated with them leaked information to those invaders, but we haven't been able to verify anything yet since the attack. So any intel they may have with them is probably outdated and won't show this area. At least, that's what I'm hoping."

"That is good to hear. We shouldn't worry then, I'm sure you are right."

"Well that makes one of us." replies Haru with a nervous laugh.

Iroh laughs back at the earthbender in response. "I'm glad you were able to make it out."

"Me too but… I wish I could say the same for my comrades. Maybe there was something else I could have done and more of us could have escaped."

"Now is not the time to let ourselves be troubled by despair and regret. We may have lost the battle this day, but we have not been defeated. In fact, we must push onward for those we've left behind and try even harder for the sake of those we can still save."

The young man reflects on Iroh's words and a part of his anxious mind seems to calm down. "You're right, Master Iroh. You always seem to know the right thing to say."

The former general smiles to Haru. "It comes from years of experience, I'm sure you will be able to do the same one day. And just Iroh is fine."

"Understood. I will try to do that, sir."

The two allies eventually make their way to Earth King Kuei and Bosco. Kuei is sitting in a carriage next to the driver seat with his bear companion in front of the vehicle connected to the reins.

"I'm sorry for the delay, your Majesty. Are you all right?" asks Haru as he places himself into the driver seat.

"I'm fine, a bit excited and afraid but mostly fine." speaks the Earth King in a somewhat composed tone.

"We are glad you are safe, your Majesty." comments the old firebender who makes his way into the seat next to Haru.

"You have my deepest gratitude, Master Iroh. If you and your compatriot had not shown up when you did, I believe we would not have been able to escape. Speaking of, I'm glad the two of you made it back but where is your ally?"

"He stayed back to give us more time to flee."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What a brave man."

"Indeed he is and a good friend. But we cannot linger here any longer. Are you ready to depart, your Majesty?"

"Yes I am."

"For your safety, would your Majesty not prefer to ride inside the carriage?" questions the young earthbender as he readies the reins.

"I believe I will be fine with the two of you at my side. Plus, I can keep Bosco company by staying up here."

The large brown bear hollers back happily.

"Understood, your Majesty. You ready, Bosco?"

Bosco stands up on his hind legs and growls back in agreement. As he returns to the ground, he even moves the carriage out a little forward.

"Okay, okay. We want to get out of here just as much as you." Haru lightly whips the reins signaling the bear mount to begin exiting the tunnel. Bosco pulls the carriage at a respectable speed through the crystal lighted underground system.

"Seems that draft training we put him through is proving useful." comments Kuei as he looks over to his animal friend. "Are you doing okay, Bosco?"

The bear growls in what could possibly be interpreted as an affirmative yes. Either that or he's hungry, maybe both. "I promise we won't have you do any more than you want to. I'll also have your favorite snacks ready for you whenever we get somewhere safe to eat. Thank you, Bosco!"

"Where exactly does this tunnel lead?" wonders Iroh.

"It stays underground for a while before opening back up to the surface. The exit is a good distance away from the city." answers Haru. "After what happened with Azula and the Dai Li, the head political and military leaders of Ba Sing Se didn't want to risk another incident like that happening again so this tunnel was their backup plan. Although, they probably weren't prepared for something like what's happening right now."

"No one could have seen this coming." remarks the former general. "As for our exit strategy, where are we taking you to, your Majesty?"

"We are supposed to either head to Gaoling or Omashu depending on if a message was sent out in time." states the Earth King. "I'm not sure if it ever was."

"I don't believe any of your people even had a chance to send one. Yun and his forces were well coordinated in how they attacked. From what I saw, they went after your sentries and any methods that could alert the city first. If what Haru told me is correct and they made their way in from underground, they would have no need to open the gate at the wall. They more than likely intended to let it remain shut and keep everyone trapped inside. They also probably made sure to cut off communication by intercepting your messenger hawks if they could even make it out of the snowstorm, which was their doing as well if I had to guess. At least, that is what I would do if I were in their position."

"You are quite knowledgeable in military tactics and strategy, Master Iroh." remarks Kuei in admiration.

"I was once a general you know." Iroh says lightheartedly.

"So do we head to Gaoling or Omashu?" asks Haru.

"Master Iroh, which do you believe we should go to?"

"I believe Omashu would be our best course. We have good friends there and its location will allow us to readily contact the rest of our allies."

"To Omashu then." agrees the Earth King.

"Understood, your Majesty."

"You know, I never expected Bosco and I would be forced to flee from our own city and home yet again in such a short time."

"You have my deepest sympathies, your Majesty." remarks Iroh.

"Thank you, and I guess it's not all bad. At least, Bosco and I will get to travel and see more of the world again. Plus, I'm fortunate to be with such fine company." Kuei gives a bright smile to his allies.

"I'm glad to be of service to you, your Majesty." responds the earthbender bodyguard dutifully.

"Then let us focus on the present and be grateful for the time we have now. I feel that this will be a long and difficult journey but as long as we trust and rely on each other, we'll make it through this together." speaks the old firebender warmly with a wide grin. "And hopefully, I can finally relax and enjoy retirement in peace when this is all over."

The Earth King and the young man both laugh at Iroh's comment as they start to see a golden glimmer of light shine its way down into the tunnel. Iroh, Haru, Kuei, and Bosco soon exit from an inconspicuous cave to the verdant fields of the Earth Kingdom. It is still early into the dawn as they set out onto the roads to continue their escape. Having survived their ordeal, the three travelers and their bear companion press onward to Omashu with renewed resolve and purpose.

* * *

Sudden collisions of red and blue energy erupt across the stormy sky above the Fire Nation royal palace. Waves of flames and arcs of lightning are engaged in an all-out volatile war. A constant back and forth of opposing forces attempting to outdo the other. The two warriors eventually reach a momentary stalemate in their heated battle. They stand a fair distance away from one another, both waiting and watching. The Fire Lord's golden eyes narrow onto his masked adversary. During their standoff, Zuko thinks over what he's learned from the encounter with his foe so far while staying focused on the lightningbender still in front of him. Zuko has never seen lightning used in the way his opponent uses it. The lightning he took into his body seems to have greatly enhanced the masked man's speed, but it also acts as a form of protection. Anytime the Fire Lord connects with a physical blow to the lightningbender, a discharge of electricity fires back at him. The discharge isn't deadly, but it still hurts enough to sting and leave minor burns. This effect applies even when Zuko is just blocking so he's had to try keeping his distance between them whenever he can.

The lightning he bends appears to be as destructive as Ozai's or Azula's, but he can unleash it from his legs as well. The masked man's fighting style comprises almost entirely of rapid powerful kicks while mostly using his arms to either block, strike occasionally, or shoot lightning. All his movements and attacks are swift and relentless with an aura of vicious intent behind them. The lightningbender tries to always be on the offensive throughout his clash with the young Fire Lord but Zuko remains just as aggressive as his opponent. The dark-haired firebender has had ample chances to try redirecting his opponent's lightning during their battle but in those moments, he feels as though his adversary can just dodge it or even bend it right back at him again. The young ruler decides to hold off redirecting only as a last resort. The masked man's ferocious intensity actually reminds Zuko of himself back when he relied on his own fury and hatred to fuel his bending. Realizing this, the firebender comes up with an idea that might allow him to secure victory.

'Just stay calm. Let him make the first move.' thinks the dark-haired ruler as he takes a deep breath.

In their readied stances, they remain as still as statues while staring each other down. Concentrated cold blue orbs contrast against focused fiery gold ones. With slow controlled breathing, two hearts race rapidly from a combination of adrenaline, anxiety, and fear. This singular moment between two warriors feels like an eternity as the tempest rages on around them. The howling wind and roaring thunder comes to a stop causing the area around them to fade into silence. The flashes of lightning die out as everything is engulfed by the darkness of night. In this void, they remain perfectly still with eyes locked waiting for the opportunity to strike. Another bolt of lightning ends the silent darkness and signals them to recommence. The masked man hastily steps forward and bends lightning from both his hands at the Fire Lord. Zuko bolts directly at the lightning causing the man's eyes to widen in surprise. The firebender shifts into a low slide leaning back as he does. With stilled breath, Zuko sees the electrical attack rush by him, just barely above his scarred face. He follows up by letting his body meet the floor then maneuvers his legs up into the air and spins them around creating a whirlwind of fire. The lightningbender can't block in time and is struck by Zuko's signature attack. The man is sent flying back and slams into a metal wall with a resounding thud. His body crumples to the ground with wisps of smoke coming off his singed clothes. The Fire Lord stands back up and lets himself relax for a moment.

"That… was close." states Zuko with his heart still racing. "I don't want to ever do that again."

Once he's finally caught his breath and mostly calmed down, the young ruler begins thinking over what he needs to do next.

'City's under attack. Need to get to my commanders. Find out what's going on. Don't panic and remain calm. Look for Mai and Ty Lee. Try to fight back.'

As Zuko is about to leave for the royal palace, he hears an aggravated grunt from behind him. He turns back to see the lightningbender getting back to his feet and cracking the bones in his neck.

"Not bad, Fire Lord." declares the masked man in a resentful tone.

"Tell me who you are." demands Zuko as he readies into a defensive stance.

"An envoy."

"An envoy for who?"

"For the end. For his paradise."

"What are you talking about?"

The masked man doesn't answer him. Instead, he starts to bend lightning once more. This time however the man isn't bending lightning just from himself. He draws in bolts of electricity from the storm around them. The lightningbender glows an ethereal blue with sparks shooting out from his body as he creates an orb of volatile energy.

"Not good…"

The masked man unleashes the ball of lightning from his hands. The attack surges forward like an azure comet at the young ruler. Zuko has only a split second to react. He doesn't believe he'll be able to block or dodge in time, so he's left with trying to overpower it or redirecting it. The firebender decides to go with the latter. He shifts into the proper stance and prepares for the oncoming strike.

'Just stay calm and let the lightning flow into your body like a current.' thinks the Fire Lord as he calmly breaths.

Zuko watches as the bright blue electrical orb comes close to his fingertips. The moment he touches it, the firebender feels his muscle memory kick in as the lightning surges through his body. His senses are overwhelmed by a mix of fear and exhilaration from the massive amount of energy he is holding in that moment. He remains focused and effortlessly goes through the motions to send the powerful attack right back at his adversary.

"What?!" calls out the masked man in shock as the lightning rushes back directly at him.

Having succeeded in redirecting, Zuko allows a smirk to appear on his face as he witnesses a vibrant blue explosion happen in front of him. The young ruler blinks quickly for a couple seconds to let his eyes readjust from the sudden flash of illumination. When his vision focuses again, he is stunned by what he sees. A large shell of metal is covering where his opponent was. The side of the shell facing the firebender is blackened and smoking from the lightning attack he redirected.

"How did that happen?" wonders the dark-haired young man.

A moment later the metal shell bends back down into the floor revealing a towering hulk of a man garbed in black and grey armor behind the lightningbender.

"You've got to be kidding me." 'How… Where… Why is there a metalbender here? I thought Toph was the only one.'

The metal giant rushes at Zuko causing him to engage with his new enemy. Despite his size and armored appearance, the metalbender moves much quicker than the Fire Lord expects. He hears the heaviness of the man's footsteps and yet, the giant can somehow almost keep up with the firebender's pace. As the battle proceeds, the young ruler realizes most of his attacks barely affect his adversary. The thick plated, black and grey armor appears to not even be marred by Zuko's fiery assault so far.

'This is bad. I can't even hurt him.'

The Fire Lord is trying to come up with a strategy as fast as he can while avoiding the armored man's powerful attacks. Meanwhile, the lightningbender has strangely remained frozen in place during this ongoing conflict. The giant creates dents and holes in the walls and floor as Zuko continues to evade. His combat style seems to rely on staying in close range and striking mainly with elbows and knees. However, the metalbender is also able to fight from a distance by bending steel sheets and rods from the area around them due to the royal palace being made of mostly metal. Along with that advantage, he can launch parts of his armor at his opponent then pull the pieces back onto his body. Zuko is still struggling to find a weakness and he's sure his opponent knows it as well by now.

'This would be a lot easier if I could bend lightning.' considers the dark-haired young ruler as he keeps blasting fire to stall. Zuko thinks it might work like a lightning rod on the man and his armor if he could just get one bolt to strike him. Unfortunately, the lightningbender isn't currently attacking and he can't depend on being ready to redirect random lightning from the storm.

'I can either attack when he's open after he sends a part of his armor at me, or I could go for his eyes… I'll just go for the eyes.'

After dodging another strike, Zuko quickly moves in and attempts to send a burst of flames from point blank range at the metalbender's face. The armored man sees the firebender's attack coming and raises his arms up near his head to defend. As he does this, the metal gauntlets on his forearms shift into miniature shields. He easily brushes off the fiery attack then wraps his hands around the back of Zuko's neck and brings him into a grapple. The giant drives a forceful knee directly into the Fire Lord's abdomen. Zuko lets out a painful grunt as the wind gets knocked out of him. The metalbender releases his clinch on his opponent then slams his hands against the sides of Zuko's head. While he's stunned, the man follows up with a heavy elbow to the young ruler's chest knocking him to the ground. The armored giant then bends metal from the floor to coil around Zuko's arms and legs restraining him. Once he's finished, the metalbender looks over to his masked ally.

"Fool. Our orders are to capture him. Not kill him."

The lightningbender finally begins moving again but at a slow pace, almost as if his limbs are stiff. "I don't want to hear it, Rama. I knew what I was doing."

"No, you didn't. You allowed your temper to get the best of you and tried to eliminate our target. Think before you act."

"I had things under control!"

"Is that right? You took in more lightning than you could handle and your body locked up because of it. He even sent your attack back at you and it would have killed you had I not shown up."

"How was I supposed to know that he could bend lightning?"

"It doesn't matter if you had known. You underestimated your adversary and became blinded by your own anger instead of doing what you were supposed to. Then someone else had to come in and correct your mistake."

"Don't lecture me, old man."

"I shouldn't have to, Kai. But I'm sure our master will have plenty to say when we finish up here."

"Fine. Let's just get this done already." retorts Kai as he makes his way over to Rama and the restrained Fire Lord.

While they've been talking, Zuko has overheard most of their conversation as he's been struggling to free himself. The firebender's head is throbbing in pain and the rest of his body feels battered and exhausted. Try as he might, he hasn't been able to gather enough strength to heat the metal off his restraints. The two benders reach the young ruler and begin speaking to him.

"There's no reason to continue fighting." states the armored giant plainly. "You've already lost, and so have your people."

"It's over, Fire Lord Zuko." remarks the masked man in a gruff tone. "Save what little strength you have left and come with us quietly. Or don't, and you will be made to suffer more as we take you away by force. Choice is yours."

With heavy breathing, the young ruler stares up defiantly at his two captors. "What was the point in attacking us? The war is over. Why are you doing all this?"

"Deep wounds may eventually heal, but the pain is not so easily forgotten." speaks Rama as he kneels next to the young man. "But this wasn't about that. This wasn't personal, Fire Lord Zuko. Not for most of us at least. What we do here and now is for the greater good, for the sake of peace. You'll understand soon enough."

As he stands back up, the armored man bends the metal restraints off from the firebender's limbs then extends his hand offering to help Zuko to his feet. The Fire Lord considers his options on what he should do. The easier choice would be to surrender and let himself be taken prisoner. The other choice would be to keep fighting back despite the odds not being in his favor. It takes him only a moment to decide. He's never been one to back down even when it seemed like the whole world was against him. Zuko sits up and reaches out for Rama's hand. When he's about to grasp it, the Fire Lord attempts to create a flare of flames to blind both his adversaries. Before he can though, Rama and Kai each take a hold of his wrists and slam him back down to the floor.

"Bad choice." declares the lightningbender as he lifts an arm up to strike. Kai brings the points of his fingers down on Zuko's chest and sends a surge of electricity through the young man's body. Zuko cries out in agony as he struggles to not pass out from the pain of the attack. Once the shocking ends, the firebender feels like he's barely hanging on.

"You surprise me again." comments Kai. "It's impressive you were able to stay conscious against that. Most can't. Too bad it doesn't make a difference."

Zuko sees the masked man preparing to unleash more lightning on him. He's not sure whether he can do anything else and part of him is set to give up already.

'I guess this is the end.' reflects the Fire Lord as he shuts his eyes for the oncoming pain. 'I just wasn't strong enough. I'm sorry for failing everyone.'

When he accepts defeat, Zuko suddenly senses something stir from deep inside of him. It feels like another part of himself waking up from a long slumber. Zuko hears his own voice call out to him.

'No. Not again. I refuse.'

The young ruler listens to the loud and rapid beating of his heart. He feels his blood heat up like lava in his veins. His body feeds off the pain he is in and uses it to fuel him. His mind becomes overwhelmed by powerful emotions from his own memories along with feelings he's kept locked away. All his hate, fury, passion, love, sorrow, and regret boil over in his being then erupts. Zuko reopens his eyes to reveal glowing fiery red orbs.

"What in the world?" speaks Kai.

"What's happening?" questions Rama.

With the same fiery appearance as his eyes, an aura of energy is radiating from the Fire Lord. Zuko sits up and easily overpowers his captors holding him down. He unleashes a massive wave of flames that strike Kai and Rama hurling them to the wall on the opposite side of the balcony. Once he stands up, Zuko bends a crimson tornado at his enemies. The lightningbender counters by sending out a wave of electricity at the destructive whirlwind. He's using all his strength to simply keep the fiery attack from advancing towards them.

"Rama! Wall!"

Right as Kai stops his lightning, the armored giant creates a steel barrier in front of his ally and himself then bends another protective shell around them. The two of them take cover as the tornado collides with the barrier. They feel the area shake and rumble around them from the shockwave of the Fire Lord's attack as it breaks through the metal wall. Rama remains standing as he focuses on holding the shell together against the destructive force on the other side. Eventually, the tremor stops, and the area becomes still once more. He lowers the metal back down and, both benders bear witness to the aftermath. Parts of the balcony are missing and the remaining surface around them is blackened and scorched. The canopy covering is gone, and the rain is coming down on them. Ambient heat lingers in the steamy air and metal debris is scattered all about. The Fire Lord is nowhere to be seen.

"What was that?" declares an agitated lightningbender.

"Not sure, but master will want to know about this unexpected development. We can still capture him, he can't have gotten far."

Rama and Kai hurriedly head through the door leading to the Fire Lord's bedchambers to continue their hunt for Zuko.

* * *

'Just take your time.' thinks Zuko to himself as he hides behind a pillar.

The dark-haired young man can't really recall how he escaped from his two captors. The last thing he remembers is somehow ending up in the halls of the royal palace. He does know that his entire body still hurts and that his lungs are worn out from running. Once he feels far enough away, Zuko begins moving at a cautious pace through the palace. He spots warriors dressed in clothes and armor like the men he fought with earlier. Any Fire Nation guards and soldiers he comes across are either unconscious or being taken away by enemy forces. Despite his injuries, Zuko concentrates on staying quiet as he stealthily makes his way toward the underground bunker.

'If Ty Lee found out what was happening, she would have either gotten to me already or made her way down here if she couldn't find me. Maybe Mai was alerted and made it here too. Hopefully.'

The firebender uses the walls for support as he weaves in and out of the tunnels beneath the city. Zuko eventually makes it past the maze of tunnels and reaches the Fire Lord's hidden bunker. When he gets there, Zuko double checks that no one else is around as he slides into the space where the door is hidden. The moment he steps inside, the young man feels several hands grasp his body, pulls him in, and then slams him up against the steel door to shut it. The Fire Lord focuses on the people pinning him and feels instantly relieved when he realizes who they are. Ty Lee, Mai, and Master Piandao are all staring at him in disbelief with fists and weapons ready to strike.

"Hello, Zuko here." says the young ruler with his hands up in the air to surrender to his friends.

"Zuko!" cry out Mai and Ty Lee at the same time.

"Fire Lord Zuko." states Piandao with a bow as he sheathes his sword.

Before Zuko has a chance to speak again, Mai tucks her daggers away and brings her boyfriend into a warm embrace.

"Where were you?" she asks with worried eyes as she looks him over. "And what happened to you?"

As he's about to respond, Ty Lee joins in and tightly hugs both her friends.

"We were so worried about you, especially Mai. I tried heading to your room but there were so many bad guys, then Piandao found me and said we should head to the bunker even though I really didn't want to go there without you. But he believed you would make it to us, and it turns out he was right. Mai was already here waiting for us but now we're all together and I'm so glad we're all safe."

"Guys, I'm happy everyone's okay but this really hurts right now." replies Zuko while cringing in pain.

Ty Lee releases her hug and blushes in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, I didn't even check to see if you were okay. I'm failing in my duties as your bodyguard. Are you hurt anywhere? What can we do to help? Do you need anything? Water? Food? Med–"

"Ty Lee." interjects Mai as she places a caring hand on her friend. "Please slow down and let Zuko speak."

"Sorry."

"I'll be alright. Just some burns and bruises." says the Fire Lord as he starts walking further into the bunker to find a spot to rest. "How about you guys? Is anyone hurt?"

"No."

"I'm fine."

"Everyone here shows no injuries, my lord."

"Master Piandao, when it's just us here can you just call me Zuko?" requests the young man with a small grin as he sits down on the edge of a bed. Mai places herself right next to him and begins to gently massage Zuko's shoulders.

"Sure, my old apprentice. Seems you've let yourself get rusty." jokes the old swordmaster as he pulls out a medical kit and begins examining the young ruler.

"Maybe you need to teach me some more lessons." remarks the firebender as Piandao applies some ointment onto his burns. "Ow. But yeah, I got beat up pretty bad. I ran into two of them at the same time. A lightningbender and a metalbender. Did anyone else make it here?"

Mai, Ty Lee, and Piandao all shake their heads solemnly.

"I see." Zuko sighs and does his best to keep his composure before changing the subject. "Did any of you have to fight them?"

"I didn't." states the young noblewoman as she uses her hand to brush Zuko's hair back from his face. "I saw a few, but I avoided them while I went looking for you."

"Ty Lee and I did." replies Piandao as he begins wrapping cloth around some of Zuko's injuries.

"Those lightning guys are fast." notes the acrobatic bodyguard. "We saw how they were moving and attacking so we made sure to surprise them and take them out before they could let any of their friends know."

"But we soon realized there were far too many and chose to withdraw to safety instead." adds in the swordsman. "On our way here, I didn't see any metalbenders but I believe I heard them whenever they began bending the area around them."

"I actually saw some before I met up with Master Piandao. Those guys look really tough with all that armor they have on. Just thinking about having to fight one makes my hands hurt."

"Trust me, they are strong." comments Zuko to Ty Lee.

"Is that where you got all these bruises?" questions the White Lotus member as he applies an herbal mixture onto the discolored areas of Zuko's skin.

"Just the worse ones. I couldn't hurt the metalbender I fought, no matter what I tried. He just went through everything I threw at him until I made a mistake and he beat me. I'm not even sure how I managed to get away."

"What do you mean get away?" asks Piandao as he's finishing up.

"I mean… I remember I didn't have enough strength to keep fighting. They restrained me and shocked me with lightning. They were about to knock me out and take me prisoner with them, and then… I don't know what happened after that. Everything is kind of hazy and I only remember sneaking my way here."

"Are you sure you're okay, Zuko?" asks Mai with a gentle hand cupping the unscarred side of the Fire Lord's face.

"I said I was fine. Why?" responds the firebender as he gently takes Mai's hand away from his face and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

"Well." begins Ty Lee while resting her chin on her palm. "It's just weird you don't remember everything that happened to you. Is your head okay?"

"My head is fine."

"Zuko." states Piandao in a commanding tone.

"Yes, Master Piandao?"

"Sit up and look over here at me."

The dark-haired young man complies and does as he is told. The Fire Nation swordmaster goes and brings back a candlestick then lights the red candle on it.

"Ty Lee, could you dim the lights from the lanterns closest to us?"

"Sure." responds Ty Lee as she helps to darken the room.

"Zuko, I want you to follow my finger with your eyes. Just try to stay focused and watch where my finger moves. Understand?"

The young ruler answers back with a nod. Master Piandao brings the lit candle closer to his and Zuko's face then begins moving his finger in all sorts of directions. He carefully examines where and how the Fire Lord's eyes react and move as he does this for a few moments. Once he finishes up, Piandao sits back and lets out a sigh.

"Thank you, Ty Lee. Please brighten the room."

"Got it." replies the bodyguard as she returns the area to its previous setting.

"What's wrong, Master Piandao?" wonders Zuko with concern in his tone.

"I'm not a healer but I have studied under some. I believe you've suffered some head trauma, Zuko. That might be the reason for the gaps in your memory. Did you sustain any strikes to the head in your recent battle with your assailants?"

As the words leave Piandao's mouth, Zuko immediately remembers when the sides of his head were struck by the metalbender's palms. Just thinking about it causes the young ruler's head to ache. "…Yes. The metalbender… hit me on both sides of my head."

"You idiot." remarks Mai as she pulls Zuko in close to her. It appears like she is going to scold him at first but then plants a tender kiss to both his temples. "But you're my idiot."

"Aww." says Ty Lee which causes them to all turn to look at her. "I mean… Zuko! You're not supposed to be putting yourself in danger like that. How am I supposed to protect you if you go off and let yourself get hurt by strange benders?"

"What was I supposed to do?"

"You said you couldn't hurt him. So why did you keep fighting? Could you have retreated like we did?"

"Well…" He raises a finger to protest but then realizes that Ty Lee might be right and withdraws instead. "…Never mind."

"Ahem." coughs the old swordmaster.

All of three them stop talking to look toward the White Lotus member and apologize at the same time. "We're sorry, Master Piandao."

"Zuko, my recommendation is that you need to escape from here and find a trained healer to properly tend to your injuries. Otherwise, it will take much longer for you to recover. Unfortunately, with what's going on around us, this will not be an easy thing to accomplish. As your head military advisor, would you permit me to share my thoughts on what we should do next?"

"Of course, Master Piandao."

"When it comes to invasions and sieges, the defenders would typically try to outlast their enemy in a battle of attrition. However, this is not a viable strategy for us in this situation. The enemy has already breached our defenses and I'm sure they've also captured or defeated most of our leaders and military forces. This is indeed one of the most skilled and flawless executions of warfare I've ever seen carried out. They used the environment, time of day, and their unique bending to completely overtake us. Given the lack of intel on our enemy along with the capabilities we've seen from them so far, we are at a disadvantage and victory is not an option for us. Our best option now is to regroup and try to contact our allies. We must survive to fight on, regain our strength, then counterattack. Fire Lord Zuko, which of our allies should we seek out?"

"The Southern Water Tribe." states the young ruler. "Aang should still be there along with Katara, Sokka, Chief Hakoda, and Master Pakku. After that, we might be able to receive aid from King Bumi in Omashu. I think Toph is there too from what I last heard. And if we need even more help, we can reach out to my Uncle and the Earth King in Ba Sing Se."

"Understood. Sounds like a fine plan, my old apprentice." speaks the Fire Nation swordmaster with a wide smile and a comforting hand on Zuko's shoulder.

"Thank you, Master Piandao." smiles back the firebender. "I guess we sho–"

The loud groaning of metal echoes throughout the tunnels. The moment they hear it, the four allies get to their feet and stand vigilant.

"They've found their way down here as well." comments Piandao. "Looks like we've run out of time. We must hurry and escape while we can."

"We have to make it to my personal airship." replies Zuko. "It can get us out past the storm if we move fast enough. Mai, Ty Lee, are you ready to leave?"

"Thought you'd never ask." states Mai.

"Whenever you are, my lord." replies Ty Lee.

"Zuko, one other thing."

"Yes, Master Piandao?"

"In your current state, you shouldn't be fighting. It'll only worsen your condition if you do. For now, allow myself, Mai, and Ty Lee to fight on your behalf. Try to keep your head from coming into contact with anything and don't stare at bright lights."

The Fire Lord lets out a sigh at first but then nods his head in acceptance. "I understand. I'll do my best to do as you say, Master Piandao."

"Good, now let's move. I will lead the way." commands the old swordsman as he draws his blade.

With caution, the four Fire Nation companions begin navigating their way through the winding tunnels while trying to avoid enemy forces. Any foes they encounter, the three martial fighters use ambush tactics and quickly dispatch them before they can alert anyone else nearby. It doesn't take much longer for Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, and Piandao to finally see the door to their escape. Seeing the end in sight, the group starts running for the exit when they hear a booming voice call out to them.

"It's pointless to run."

The four allies turn their attention back to whoever called out. They see a giant man in black and grey plate armor with another man wearing a draconic azure mask. The two warriors are a moderate distance away from the group.

"It's them." whispers Zuko with agitation in his tone.

"Who?" wonders Ty Lee with her fists raised ready to fight.

"The metalbender and lightningbender I fought with earlier."

With eyes locked, the two opposing groups are in a standoff.

"Fire Lord Zuko." begins the armored adversary. "I commend you on eluding us as you did, but the outcome will still be the same. For all of you."

"And what outcome might that be?" questions Piandao.

"Failure. But it doesn't have to end in defeat for you. It doesn't have to be this way for the people of the Fire Nation. We can put a stop to this conflict and bloodshed between us here and now."

"How would you propose we do that?"

"You can join us. Without judgment or prejudice, we will accept all of you. Stand with us and together, we can usher in the change this world needs."

"You spoke to me of the greater good and peace earlier." speaks up Zuko. "If that's the change you want to bring about… then how can you say that's what you're trying to do when all you've done is cause more pain and destruction! After everything that's been done to my people, you would dare ask us to join you! By my authority as Fire Lord and leader of the Fire Nation, I reject your offer!"

"A shame." Rama shakes his head. "I'm sorry we can't agree with each other. I could never convey my intentions as well as my master. But I'm sure you will get to experience the wisdom and truth of his words soon enough."

"Who is your master?!" demands the young ruler who is already fuming. Mai sees how furious Zuko is and wraps a gentle hand around his arm to try calming him down. However, the firebender's rage doesn't subside.

Kai motions to talk. "Our master is the savior of this world. He is the light that will put a final end to the constant darkness that dwells within all of us. You should be grateful that he is willing to carry this out for the sake of everyone."

"What is your master's name?!" yells out Zuko as steam escapes from his mouth and nostrils.

"We are unworthy of speaking his name without his permission. Or if we are in private company with him." adds in Rama calmly. "Unless you wish to stay and meet him yourself."

The Fire Lord clenches his fist tightly and steps forward preparing to bend fire at his enemies. Before he can, Piandao places an arm in front of the young man to stop him.

"Fire Lord Zuko, do not let their words sway you from what we planned. You control your anger, it does not control you."

The dark-haired ruler listens to his former master's words then looks over to the faces of his girlfriend and trusted bodyguard. Seeing their concern, Zuko takes in a deep breath and calms himself back down. Remembering what they all talked about, Zuko knows if he tries fighting them again it will only put everyone around him in danger and might lead to them being captured. Now is not the time to fight, they need to escape and get help.

"Are we done talking now?" declares the masked man as he readies into a bending stance.

"I believe we are." confirms the armored giant as he raises his fists.

"Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, I will hold them off." says the old swordmaster as he points his blade out at his two opponents. "Hurry and get out while you can."

"We can't leave you behind, Master Piandao." asserts Zuko.

"You must. Someone has to hold them back or they will capture all of us. You know I'm right, and we don't have time to discuss this. Leave now."

The firebender wants to argue but instead lets out a frustrated shout. He nods backs in understanding. "I promise we'll come back for you. Thank you, master."

Without turning away, Master Piandao smirks while keeping his attention focused on the two benders. "Farewell, my old apprentice. Ty Lee, Mai, please stay safe and take care of our Fire Lord."

"Don't worry, we will." responds Mai in a slightly confident tone as she begins escorting Zuko out the exit.

"Kick their butts, Master Piandao! And thank you for everything!" cheers on Ty Lee before heading out with her friends.

Once they've gone through the door, the two warriors start advancing towards the White Lotus member.

"Do you really believe you have any chance taking us both on? You should surrender while you can." declares Kai right before he charges in.

The masked man sends out a lightning bolt at Piandao who catches the energy with his sword. Piandao quickly moves in and slashes with the temporarily electrified blade at the lightningbender. He narrowly blocks the attack with his silver gauntlets then ducks as the sword pushes past his guard. As the man is distracted, the Fire Nation swordsman follows up with two swift kicks to Kai's chest and jaw. He gets knocked back a short distance but remains on his feet and returns to a defensive guard.

"What matters is not whether I can defeat you. What matters is providing as much time as I can to aid my allies. I accept my inevitable loss to come, but that doesn't me I will let myself be taken down so easily."

Kai lets out an annoyed grunt and prepares to rush in again but is halted by the raised arm of his giant companion. The metalbender takes a step forward.

"I've heard of you. You are the famed Piandao, the master swordsman who singlehandedly defeated one hundred Fire Nation soldiers. I'm sorry for my ally's brashness. He still has much to learn." states the armored man with a telling glance to his masked companion.

"Pfft, fine then. I'll let you take the lead on this, old man." remarks Kai with a roll of his eyes as he retreats back.

"Master Piandao, we will show you the proper respect you deserve in this battle." speaks the metalbender as he brings his hands together then bows formally.

"I did not expect such formality, but it's at least considerate of you to do so. Since you already know who I am, would my opponents be willing to share with me their names?"

"Of course. I am called Rama."

"I'm Kai."

"Rama, Kai, I will remember both of you." speaks Piandao with a respectful bow. "Let us proceed."

"Understood. I promise we will give you an honorable loss."

"I'll be the judge of that."

The armored giant moves in and engages in combat with the old swordsman. A skillful exchange of attacks and strategies commences between the two warriors. Piandao swings his sword at Rama who uses his armor to deflect the blows while any strikes and metalbending Rama throws out Piandao either dodges or blocks with his blade. The White Lotus member realizes his adversary excels in close quarters combat, so he shifts his focus to hit and run tactics. Piandao tries his best to attack whenever he sees an opening in the man's armor. At times, he feels closes to breaching Rama's defenses, but the giant seems to always be able to block and recover just in time.

"If you can bend metal at will, why have you not simply taken my weapon away from me?"

"Because that is not my way. I choose to only bend the metal I have on and the metal that is around me. Never the metal wielded or worn by my opponents. If I disarm or defeat you, it will be by my skill alone."

"I can respect your way."

"And I admire your mastery of the blade. But I'm afraid this battle will not last much longer for you."

"We will see."

Master Piandao feints causing Rama to send out a piece of armor at him. Effortlessly evading the metal shard, the old swordsman lunges and stabs his sword into an exposed spot near the metalbender's shoulder. Piandao readies to drive his weapon further in but feels an opposing force holding it in place. Rama has a hand wrapped tightly around the blade preventing Piandao from moving it.

"Well done in finding an opening." remarks the giant man calmly even as blood escapes from his hand gripping the blade and shoulder wound. "This is a finely crafted sword. It pains me to have to do this."

Rama releases his grip then swings his forearms in opposing directions with the blade in between them. The metalbender's motion forcefully snaps Piandao's sword into pieces. After the weapon is broken, he quickly moves in with a high knee straight to the center of the swordmaster's chest. Piandao is pushed back by the power of the hit and drops down to a knee. The Fire Nation warrior spits out blood and coughs as he tries to recover from the air being knocked out of him.

"Do you accept defeat?"

"Not quite yet."

"Very well." responds Rama as he advances at the White Lotus member.

Rama leaps up preparing to deliver an elbow strike down on his adversary. Before the strike can connect, Piandao draws the sheath of his sword and plunges it directly at the metalbender's jaw. The blow knocks the giant out of the air, and he comes crashing to the ground. The armored man simply lies there at first until he sets up then steadily gets back on his feet. At the same time, Master Piandao uses the sheath to help himself into a standing position. The two opponents stare at each other ready to clash again.

"Clever." says the metalbender as he rubs the part of his helmet where his jaw would be.

"I thought so too." replies the old swordmaster with a smirk as he points his sheath in a fighting stance at his foe.

Rama raises his arms into their usual position then charges at Piandao again. The swordsman gives a hopeful smile as one final thought goes through his mind. 'I know all of you will make it.'

* * *

"Ty Lee! Are you sure you know what you're doing?!" calls out the Fire Lord nervously as he tries to make himself be heard over the howling storm.

"Don't worry! They made sure to train me, so I got this!" answers back the acrobat in a confident tone as she continues to pilot the personal airship through the heavy rain and strong winds.

"Mai!" shouts the firebender. "How are you holding up?!"

Displaying her usual stoic demeanor, the young noblewoman responds with a simple thumbs up.

"Got it!" remarks Zuko with a grin. "We should be out of this soon! Ty Lee, are you ready for me to add more fire to the engine?!"

"Aye aye, captain!"

"Everybody hold on!"

Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee are connected by ropes between the three of them. More ropes are tied from them to the airship to make sure they are anchored down. Despite Mai's protest when they first boarded, the Fire Lord and royal bodyguard didn't want to risk anyone falling out of the vessel. Right now, Ty Lee is piloting, Zuko is supplying fuel, and Mai is providing moral support. Zuko unleashes more fire into the engine causing the ship to move higher and faster. Ready to maneuver, Ty Lee steers the airship downward to keep from ascending into the nearby storm clouds and lightning. This goes on for a little longer until they finally breach the heavy cloud cover and escape from the tempest into the night. From up this high, the dark sky is clear and quiet with a myriad of stars that can be seen for miles.

"Made it." says the young man with a sigh of relief. "Nice piloting, Ty Lee."

"Thank you, Zuko. That was a lot of fun."

"Right." adds in Mai. "So much fun. Can we take these ropes off now?"

"I'll take care of it." responds Zuko.

The Fire Lord undoes the ropes between the three of them and stows it away.

"Ugh, I hate being wet." comments the black-haired noble as she wrings out water from her clothes.

"We'll be dry soon enough but this should help." Zuko pulls out a few blankets from a storage compartment and wraps one around his girlfriend.

"Thank you, your Highness." Mai kisses the firebender.

"You're welcome, my lady. I'll try to keep us all warm."

The young ruler moves over to his other companion and wraps a blanket around her as well. Ty Lee gives a cheerful thank you as she enjoys the pleasant warmth the covering provides her.

"Which way do I need to take us, my lord?"

After wrapping himself up in a blanket, Zuko retrieves a compass and a map from another compartment. He has Mai hold the map up for him while he bends a small handful of fire into his palm to give them some more light. Looking between the compass and the map, the firebender takes a moment to determine their course.

"We need to head southeast. We can make a stop off the southern coast of the Fire Nation. From there, we keep going southeast and we can rest in the lands where the Air Nomads used to be. Then just keep heading the same direction and we'll reach the Southern Water Tribe. Ty Lee, are you okay to keep piloting?"

"Yep, I'll be fine to keep going."

"Mai, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Annoyed at those jerks for not letting me sleep, but mostly okay." answers Mai with a yawn.

"Don't worry, we'll all be able to get some rest soon when we stop. We just need to get as far away as we can first. Mai, would you be okay helping Ty Lee to navigate while I maintain the engine?

"I suppose." sarcastically replies the Fire Lord's girlfriend before grinning.

"Thank you." smiles back Zuko as he hands her the compass. "I need you to stay up at the front with Ty Lee and make sure she keeps the ship going in the direction we need it to be."

"As you command, my lord." teases Mai with a lazy curtsy. She then brings herself right next to her friend.

"Hey look, we're ship buddies!" declares Ty Lee as she moves her body closer until their shoulders are touching.

"Just make sure we don't crash." The young noblewoman smirks as she playfully nudges her friends.

"Ty Lee, let me know if you need a break and I'll trade off with you."

"Got it, captain."

"Once we land, you guys go ahead and get some sleep. I'll stay up and keep watch until we're ready to head out."

Mai turns back around and looks over with concern at the Fire Lord. "Are you sure, Zuko? You've been through a lot, you should get some sleep too."

"I'll be fine." speaks Zuko with a calm demeanor. "I just want to make sure the two of you are okay first."

Mai steps away from the bow and heads to her boyfriend. She brings him into a caring embrace. "Hey, don't push yourself. I worry about you and we want you to be okay too."

The firebender raises a hand to Mai's head and gently brings her closer until their foreheads are touching. He gazes into his girlfriend's tawny eyes as he strokes her cheek.

"You don't need to worry about me. I promise I'll rest in the ship after we take off again." says the young ruler as he kisses Mai.

"You better." comments Mai as she kisses him again.

"Yes dear."

"Hey guys, sorry to bother you but I can't see a thing and I'm not sure where I'm supposed to be going yet."

"Sorry Ty Lee. Mai, could you please help her."

"I got it."

Mai plants one more kiss on the Fire Lord before returning to Ty Lee. The two young women work together to steer the vessel in the right direction then they begin moving full speed toward their destination. As they take their leave, Zuko stares back at the Fire Nation. He watches the monstrous tempest with its chaotic lightning flashes while his restless mind ponders on the recent tragic events. He thinks about the suffering of innocents, the heroic sacrifice of Piandao, and the destruction caused by the invaders as they ravaged the city. The dark-haired ruler clenches his fists feeling his anger and regret swelling up inside him. Zuko wants to vent his frustrations for his failure but knows he needs to stay calm and focused. At least, that's what he tells himself he needs to do if he wants any hope of saving his people and home. The firebender closes his eyes and releases a slow exhale as he turns away from the misfortune. There's nothing more he can do now except push forward. Zuko shifts his gaze to the south, his eyes looking out to the horizon.

'I won't fail. We will get to the Southern Water Tribe. My friends, please help us. The Fire Nation needs you. I need you.'


	3. Damage Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So it's been a while. I've had a hard time trying to find any free time to write and even when I do, it takes me forever trying to get it all out. (I have a love/hate relationship with trying to come up with dialogue.) Anyways, congratulations if you waited and/or made it this far having to read through the long throw-up of text my brain comes up with. I appreciate you for taking the time to read my writing and I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 3: Damage Control

“Aang.”

The young Avatar hears a familiar aged voice call out to him. Aang slowly opens his eyes to the sight of Avatar Roku. His predecessor is not an ethereal spirit but rather an actual physical presence in front of the air nomad. He looks around to see where they are and if anyone else is there with them. It takes only a moment for Aang to realize they are standing inside an empty throne room at Omashu.

“Roku? What are you doing here? Wait, what am I doing here? Why are we in Omashu?”

“Aang, I’ve been trying to reach you for some time. Both you and I have been summoned here.”

“By who? And why?”

“I do not know the reason why for this location. Perhaps, Omashu may have an important role to play in what is happening now or in what is to come. What I know is that I felt the spirits calling out to me in order to seek you out. To give them a way to contact you, I opened myself to them and they brought us here. They need your help.”

“What do they need my help with?”

“I wish I could tell you exactly what it is, but the spirits are unable to give me a clear answer. They do not speak, I can only sense what they’re feeling.”

“What are they feeling?”

“Afraid. Unimaginable fear in all of them.” As the words leave Roku’s lips, sources of light flicker out and the surrounding area darkens. A cold stillness fills the space around the two Avatars. The old firebender creates a flare of fire in his hand to illuminate the two of them. Feeling goosebumps run all over his body, Aang swallows down a nervous gulp of air as he bends forth a blaze of his own.

“Be on your guard. Even here may not be safe.”

“What do you mean it may not be safe? How can it not be safe here? This is a dream so nothing should be able to hurt us. Right?”

“The spirits brought us here, to their domain. If whatever they’re afraid of can cause harm to them, it can likely harm us as well.”

The young air nomad feels the color drain from his face. Aang’s breathing and heartbeat increases to a rapid rhythm. ‘Don’t panic, just stay calm. You’re the Avatar. And you’re with Roku, so we should be able to beat anything that tries to come after us.’

“What, what are they afraid of?”

“Something powerful. Dangerous. Dark and ancient.”

“Why are they afraid of it? What is it doing?”

“It is hunting them.”

Aang feels a chill run down his spine. Everything around him starts to feel even colder than before. Realization soon comes to the young Avatar’s mind. He's been experiencing the same overwhelming fear that the spirits have been feeling while they’ve been in this place. Despite his body’s fearful reactions, Aang takes a deep breath to steady his nerves. He steels his resolve and looks to his predecessor.

“I’ll do all I can to help the spirits. Just tell me what I need to do to stop whatever this ‘thing’ is.” speaks the air nomad with determination in his voice.

“I have never encountered anything quite like what’s happening. I wish I knew what to do, but I honestly do not know the answers. I’m truly sorry, Aang.”

“It’s okay, Roku. You don’t have to apologize for anything.” replies the air nomad with an optimistic grin. “I’m sure we’ll find a way to stop it.”

“I’m sure you will, and I’ll do everything in my power to help you.” grins back the former Avatar. “I will share with you the few details I do know about the unknown entity hunting the spirits. I sense that its very presence is causing a great disturbance to both the spirit world and the mortal world. Even now, I can feel the fears of the spirits that currently reside in the mortal plane crying out to me in the same way I can feel the spirits here.”

“So it’s somehow upsetting the spirits in both worlds?”

“Yes, and as a result, creating chaos and imbalance between the two realms. But what it’s doing should not even be possible. At least, not for anyone aside from the Avatar.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Based on what we know so far, this entity seems to be going after spirits in both realms. But only the Avatar should be able to move freely between the two planes. A normal living person cannot pass into the spirit world without enduring untold strain to his body and soul or even risk becoming trapped here. As for the spirits, they are unable to maintain their presence for an extended period of time in the mortal world without also keeping connected to the other. Even so, all spirits must ultimately return here to restore their beings less they become too weak and fade away. And yet, this entity somehow keeps traveling back and forth unless…” Roku pauses bringing his free hand up to stroke his beard as he contemplates.

“Unless what?”

“Unless, it’s not acting alone. Something here in the spirit world may be helping it.”

“But why would they do that?”

Before Roku can respond, a powerful gust assaults the throne room and extinguishes the flames of the two Avatars. The area remains pitch black for only a moment until torches and lanterns reignite with a ghostly glow of violet fire. Aang and Roku stand back to back ready to defend themselves. The shadows cast by the ethereal flames warp and coil around the two of them. Dark featureless humanoid figures with glowing violet eyes rise from the floor letting out agonizing wails as they completely surface. Their movements are contorted and erratic as they move in closer to the two benders. Without giving them a chance to strike, Roku begins unleashing a barrage of elemental attacks on the horde of shadow creatures. Aang follows suite with his predecessor and starts attacking as well. Minutes pass by with the two Avatars destroying the creatures as quickly as they can, but more and more continue to spawn just as soon as they remove them.

“They just keep coming!” declares Aang as he tries to keep calm.

“We must get away from here! Do you know a way out, Aang?”

“I do, just follow me!”

The young air nomad bends a large earth wall in the middle of the room then splits it in half. He slams the two halves to the sides of the room pinning the dark creatures against the palace walls. Having cleared a path for them, Aang brings up his signature air scooter.

“This way, Roku!”

The past Avatar generates an air spout then they make their exit from the throne room. Aang and Roku speedily fly through the stone corridors of Omashu’s palace. As they do, the two of them notice more shadows warping all around them. Countless deformed bodies of black matter crawl out from the shifting darkness with eerie eyes of violet and painfilled screams accompanying them. With fear and adrenaline coursing through him, the young airbender feels his heart wanting to escape from his chest as the mass of shadowy horrors chase after them. He has a million thoughts and questions racing in his head, but Aang knows he just needs to focus on breaking free from this nightmare.

“Roku, how do I wake up?”

“Try focusing on your connections to the physical world. Your friends, your companions, the things you care about and hold close to your heart.”

‘Focus on the things close to my heart.’ contemplates Aang with an exhale.

The Avatar focuses and allows his mind to reflect on all the things he cares about and loves in the world of the living. A girl with wavy brown hair and caring blue eyes is the first image he sees. Aang smiles when he thinks about Katara. He then hears the friendly bellow of Appa. The air nomad recalls sloppy affectionate licks from his animal companion and the joy of soaring through the skies together. Next, he remembers the laughs and fun times shared between him and Sokka. He feels the friendly arm punches and hears the playful banter coming from Toph. The happy chitters of Momo as they eat food and enjoy each other’s company. Soon enough, even more memories and the emotions linked to them completely fill the Avatar’s mind. Zuko. The Southern Water Tribe. Suki. Bumi. His friends all over the world. Aang feels an inner peace and a gentle warmth wash over him. A golden light appears at the end of the hallway they’re moving through.

“Well done, Aang.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you. Now let’s get out of here.”

The two Avatars quicken their pace to escape from the dark dreamscape. As they close the distance, Aang and Roku realize the light is a shimmering reflective portal. The young air nomad lets out a sigh of relief as they get closer to the portal. Before they can make their exit however, multiple inky black hands extend out and take hold of the former Avatar. The shadowy mass of appendages latches onto Roku and begins sinking down into floor, taking him with them.

“Roku!” yells out Aang as he hops off his scooter. The airbender turns in the direction of his predecessor readying to help free him.

“No, Aang. You must go.”

“But–”

“Look behind you. Your way out of this place is affected by what you’re feeling right now.”

The Avatar shifts his gaze to the portal of light. The golden gateway flickers in and out seeming like it could expire at any moment. He feels a sense of dread and anxiety coming over him causing the light to fade away until it’s barely a dim speck in the air.

“Listen to me, Aang. Keep calm and remember those you care about. They need you. You must return to them.”

“But Roku…”

“Don’t worry about me.” speaks the old man with a warm smile. “I promise I will be fine. I will contact you again as soon as I can.”

Despite wanting to free his predecessor, Aang knows Roku speaks true. He needs to get back to the physical world and start from there in order to truly help. The young man takes a deep breath refocusing on the ones who need him. Some of the warmth and tranquility he felt from before returns to him. Out of the corner of his eyes, Aang sees the portal slowly changing back to its previous state.

“I understand. You can count on me.” smiles back the air nomad.

“Stay safe, Aang.”

“I will and thank you, Roku.”

The airbender turns away from Roku and sprints toward the portal of light. Just before he enters, Aang looks back one more time and sees the former Avatar disappear with the shadows into the ground. He feels a tear streak down his face as he enters the gateway. A flash of pure blinding light overtakes Aang’s vision as he wakes up on his bed in the Southern Water Tribe. He feels the cold sweat coming off him as he scans around his room. When he’s looking, the young man senses small furry fingers gently touching his shoulder. He turns his focus to a confused and concerned familiar lemur staring back at him.

“Hey, Momo.” speaks Aang with a grin as he gives him a pet on the head.

Momo chirps back at him and wraps his hands around the air nomad’s fingers to show his support.

“I’m okay, buddy. Just a bad… Wait. That wasn’t a dream. Roku actually talked to me and we were being chased by those creatures.” The Avatar quickly gets out of bed and changes into his traditional orange and yellow airbending attire. “There’s something wrong, Momo, and we need to head to Omashu.”

Momo simply nods back in response then hops onto his friend’s shoulder. After gathering essentials into a traveling bag, Aang slings the pack onto his back, grabs his glider staff, and rushes off toward Appa. It is early in the morning as he leaves his tent. Water Tribe villagers are barely starting off their usual routines for the day. Coming out from her hut, Katara sees Aang just as he passes right by her.

“Aang, what are you in such a hurry for?” calls out the waterbender as she begins running after him.

“I need to get to Appa then head for Omashu.”

“Omashu? Why?”

“Roku reached out to me and said there was trouble. I’m not sure what’s wrong, but I have a feeling this is what I need to do.”

“Slow down, Aang. Please tell me what’s going on.”

“There’s no time to explain. Roku might be hurt and Omashu could be in danger. I need to leave as fast as I can.”

“Aang!” yells out Katara in an assertive tone.

Hearing the emotion in Katara’s voice causes the air nomad to immediately come to a stop. He nervously turns and gives his girlfriend his undivided attention.

At first, the young Water Tribe woman looks at him with a stare that could make a saber-tooth moose lion run away. Her face then changes to its usual kind and sympathetic appearance.

“Aang, it’s me. You know you can always talk to me about anything. So please, tell me what’s wrong.”

“I’m sorry, Katara. I just… I’m not sure what’s going on either.” admits Aang despairingly. “It was scary. What I saw with Roku. And I’m afraid of bad things happening if I don’t act soon.”

Katara moves in close and pulls Aang into a comforting hug. “Why don’t you start by explaining everything you saw to me?”

The air nomad relaxes in his girlfriend’s embrace. He then looks up and nods in agreement. Aang recounts all the events of his foreboding dream as the two benders walk to Appa’s barn. He finishes telling Katara the last few details when they arrive outside the metal building.

“So that’s why I need to head to Omashu.” states Aang as he slides opens the steel doors.

The flying bison roars out happily upon seeing the two of them. Appa walks over to them and gives Aang a friendly lick.

“Hey, Appa.” says the air nomad as he hugs his furry friend.

“Are you sure, Aang?” question Katara with concern in her voice. “I mean, are you sure it wasn’t just a bad dream? I had one a few days ago too.”

“I’m sure.” remarks the Avatar seriously. “It felt too real. Roku wouldn’t have any reason to contact me unless something was wrong. I know this is what I need to do. Just please trust me, Katara.”

The brown-haired waterbender wants to keep asking questions but decides against it. She simply smiles then affectionately kisses her boyfriend on the lips. “Okay, I trust you.”

“Thank you.”

“But my dad isn’t going to like that you’re leaving.”

Hearing her words, Aang slinks into a defeated posture. “But why?”

“Don’t you remember what we talked about with my family three days ago? About how you were going to take up extra responsibilities and help out around the village some more. Gran-Gran might be a little disappointed, but I’m sure she’ll understand. Unfortunately, dad will probably be upset and slightly less forgiving.

“Oh, yeah.” replies Aang as he smacks himself in the forehead. “I’ve been so busy helping out the past few days that I forgot I made that promise. But Katara, this is an emergency. Can’t you just tell him for me?”

“Nope.” answers the waterbender while shaking her head. “You’re the one needing to leave so this is your responsibility. You need to be the one to tell him or my dad might lose his trust in you.”

“Aww man. But, but–”

“No buts. This is part of your promise to be more responsible here with us, Aang. Remember that my dad is still the chief of the Southern Water Tribe and you need to show that you respect him and his authority as leader by going to talk to him instead of just leaving or having someone else do it for you.”

Aang lets out a dejected sigh of acceptance. “Okay, I’ll tell your dad.”

“Good. But I’ll at least come with you as moral support.”

“Thank you, Katara.” responds Aang as he perks up with a smile.

“Word of advice though. You just need to be honest and straightforward with what you want to tell him. Get your point across in a clear and respectful manner and you’ll be just fine.”

“Right…”

“You don’t need to worry or be nervous, I’ll be with you the whole way.”

“That’s true, that’ll help a lot.” Aang lets outs a deep exhale. “Alright, let’s go. Come on, boy.”

They shut the doors to the flying bison’s barn then begin heading back to the place in the village where Chief Hakoda starts off most of his mornings. As they walk, Momo leaps off the Avatar’s shoulder and lands on Appa’s head tucking himself into the warm fur of his fellow animal companion. Appa follows closely behind Aang and Katara as they search for the waterbender’s father. It doesn’t take long for the group to find Hakoda along with a few other men preparing freshly skinned animal hides into leathers. The airbender grows nauseous as he comes closer to the sight and smell of raw meat. Part of him just wants to take off with Appa in that moment.

“I’ll help you get started.” whispers Katara into her boyfriend’s ear.

“Wait, Katara–”

“Good morning, Dad!”

The Water Tribe chief pauses on what he’s working on to look up at them.

“Good morning, Katara. Good morning, Aang. Nice to see you two up and about so early. Keeping busy?”

“Yeah, we have been. I’ve been helping Grandpa Pakku with creating more freshwater sources everyone can use.”

“That’s great, dear.” speaks Hakoda with a warm smile. “Just make sure that he doesn’t have you do all the work for him.” He lets out a teasing laugh.

The young Water Tribe woman laughs back in response. “Of course not, Dad. Pakku is still doing the important parts and I’m just mostly assisting him.”

“Glad to hear it. What about yourself, Aang?”

“Oh, me? Well, I’m…” The Avatar completely loses his train of thought on where to carry the conversation. Seeing him struggle, Katara decides to step in.

“Aang has been doing a great job too. He’s been helping Gran-Gran a bunch with the children and he’s also assisted some of the fishers with bringing back their hauls the other day.”

“Great job, Aang.”

“Umm, thanks, Chief Hakoda, sir.” responds Aang with a nervous blush and a halfhearted smile. In his head, he’s still trying to think of what to say to Katara’s father about leaving.

“So Dad, there’s something Aang wanted to speak with you about.”

“Oh? What is it?” The Water Tribe man focuses his blue eyes directly on the young airbender.

‘I guess it’s now or never.’ “Chief Hakoda, I–”

“AIRSHIP!”

The three of them immediately stop their conversation and turn in the direction of the voice calling out. Aang lets out an internal sigh of relief at not having to answer. More voices from all over the village holler the same words. With his attention and curiosity now drawn elsewhere, Chief Hakoda soon returns his gaze to Katara and Aang.

“It looks like we have visitors. Would you two like to accompany me and see who’s decided to come by?”

“Sure, Dad.”

“Wonder who it could be?”

The group heads towards the sounds of villagers clamoring in the distance. It doesn’t take long for Aang, Katara, and Hakoda to arrive and see a large crowd of people talking amongst themselves over what is happening. The three of them stare out to where everyone else is looking.

“It’s a Fire Nation ship, and it’s too small to be carrying an entire crew.” comments Hakoda as he spots the metal vessel in the distant sky.

“An emissary from Zuko maybe?” wonders Katara.

“Doesn’t he usually send a messenger hawk first?” questions Aang.

“Yeah, he does.” replies the brown-haired waterbender with a slight concern in her voice. “I wonder why he didn’t this time.”

“Maybe he’s busy or just forgot.”

“Maybe but… I’m not sure.” As those words leave her lips, Katara feels a nervous nagging in the pit of her stomach.

“Guess we’ll find out soon enough.” adds the Water Tribe chief.

Within a short time, the air bound vessel slows down and begins its descent to the outer edge of the Southern Water tribe. The Avatar and his companions run out to the vessel and stop a small, safe distance away from the ship just before it lands. A small crowd of curious villagers follow the Avatar’s group to witness who has arrived at their home. A side door on the airship drops down creating a ramp for a familiar trio of individuals to walk off the ship. A dark-haired young man with a burn scar on the left side of his face has his arms wrapped around Ty Lee and Mai’s shoulders as they assist him down the walkway. He’s not walking on his own and his eyes are closed. The usually cheerful acrobat notices the crowd and quickly spots the allies she’s looking for. She calls out to them in a worried tone.

“Zuko needs help!”

Looks of distress, shock, and concern appear on Katara, Aang, and Hakoda.

“Zuko!” cries out the waterbender.

“What happened?” declares Aang.

Chief Hakoda rushes directly over to the Fire Nation trio. “Don’t worry, I got him.”

Mai and Ty Lee ease their friend from off their shoulders and help him into the arms of the Water Tribe leader. Once Zuko is secure in his arms, Hakoda looks over to the two young women.

“You two, follow me.” states Hakoda who then turns around preparing to head back into the village. “Katara–”

“I’ll take care of Zuko.” interjects Katara as she moves in next to her father and runs gentle hands along her friend’s face carefully examining him for a fever, pain, or any response. “Aang, go grab the medical supplies from the healers’ tent. They should be on the middle shelf. Bring it to us at the guest huts. We’ll make a room for Zuko there. Mai, Ty Lee, are you two okay? Do you need anything?”

“We’ll be fine.” speaks up Mai assertively at first but then her voice softens. “Just help Zuko. Please.”

“I will. Let’s go, Dad.”

Hakoda is surprised at first with how his daughter took charge but then grins with pride upon seeing how well she is handling the situation. “Of course, Katara.”

The two Water Tribe family members hurriedly start making their way back with the rest of their party following closely behind them. Aang eventually breaks off to go retrieve the medical supplies.

“Appa, Momo, stay with everyone else and wait for me outside the huts. I’ll be there soon.”

The two animal companions answer back with their usual bestial responses. Aang then sprints off toward the healers’ tent with both his mind and heart racing.

‘What happened to Zuko? They looked like they’ve been through a lot. Does this have anything to do with the warning Roku came to me about? Something is very wrong, and I just wish I knew what was going on and what I need to do.’

Without delay, the Avatar retrieves the supplies from the tent then heads over to where everyone else is. When he gets there, the airbender offers some comforting words about Zuko to Appa and Momo, pets both of his friends, then makes his way inside. He notices Katara sitting in a chair tending to Zuko who is laid out in a bed with Hakoda, Mai, and Ty Lee standing around the two of them. Aang brings the supplies over to Katara who gladly accepts them. The Fire Lord’s tunic is undone revealing the recent damage sustained by his body as Katara’s blue eyes continue to thoroughly look him over.

“Thank you, Aang.”

“You’re welcome, Katara. So how’s he doing?”

“He doesn’t have a fever and his breathing is normal. No broken bones, but he has minor burns and bruises all over. Most of his injuries have been treated recently, but I’ll need to tend to them a little more before they heal completely.” comments the young Water Tribe woman as she glides her water covered hands over Zuko’s pale body starting from the bottom going up. Her waterbent hands come to a stop when she reaches her friend’s face.

“But I can sense something wrong at his head. Mai, Ty Lee, can you tell us what happened to Zuko?”

Keeping her eyes on Zuko, Mai doesn’t respond and almost looks somber as if though she’s just trying to hold back tears and her emotions. Ty Lee eventually speaks up for them in a mournful voice.

“The capital was attacked and Zuko got into a fight with two benders. That’s where he got all those injuries. One of them struck him at the sides of his head.”

“The Fire Nation was attacked?” remarks Hakoda in shock.

“By who? Was it Ozai?” adds Aang in a similar tone.

“It’s a long story. I can tell you more about what happened, but we just need to make sure Zuko is okay first. Katara, Zuko is going to be okay? Isn’t he?”

Katara responds with a warm smile to the acrobat. “Yes, he will be, Ty Lee. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he gets better soon. But right now, you and Mai need to get some rest as well. I can tell that both of you have not had enough sleep.” She subtly gestures to the noticeable dark circles formed around the young ladies’ eyes.

“Oh, I’m fine.” replies Ty Lee somewhat cheerily as she rubs the area near her eyes. “Mai and I just flew nonstop after Zuko passed out on us. We were so worried that we kind of… forgot about… sleeping.”

The royal bodyguard is unable to keep a long yawn from escaping her. “Maybe you’re right. A nap does sound really nice right now.”

“Please get to bed. Doctor’s orders.”

“Okay.” answers back Ty Lee with another yawn. “Just please let us know if anything changes with Zuko.”

“Of course.” speaks the waterbender with a nod. “Dad, Aang, could you help get their belongings and set them up in a nearby room of the guest huts?”

“Sure thing, dear.” replies Hakoda with a soft grin.

“I’m on it, Katara.”

“Thank you. Mai, you should probably go–”

“No.” plainly states the young Fire Nation noblewoman. Everyone turns to look at Mai in surprise.

“But–”

“I will, but not yet. I know I can’t do anything to help Zuko right now but let me stay here with him. Just a little while longer.”

“I understand.” Katara moves away from Zuko and brings a chair over to the opposite of his bed. “Here, have a seat while you wait.”

Accepting the kindness, Mai sits in the chair and delicately wraps her hands around one of the Fire Lord’s. “Thank you.” states Mai barely above a whisper.

“You’re welcome.” Katara then opens the medical kit and begins pulling out all the necessary items she’ll need to treat the young ruler.

“Come on, Aang.” states Hakoda as he taps the Avatar on the shoulder. “Katara knows what she’s doing, and we have to help our guests get settled in.”

The older man looks over to Ty Lee with a friendly hand raised to her. “I never introduced myself. I’m Hakoda, Chief of the Southern Water Tribe.”

The brown-haired acrobat shakes Hakoda’s hand then gives a small formal bow. “Hi, I’m Ty Lee. Royal bodyguard of Fire Lord Zuko and the Fire Nation. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice meeting you, Ty Lee.” Hakoda then moves over to the hut’s entrance and lifts the leather cover serving as the door. “I’m sorry we couldn’t give you a proper welcome, but my people will make sure to provide all of you with Southern Water Tribe hospitality while you’re here. If you and your friends need anything, just let us know.”

The bodyguard makes her way to the opening and smiles at the older man. “Thank you, Chief Hakoda. We appreciate it and we’ll try to not be a burden.”

“You’re welcome and trust me, you won’t be a burden. I’m always willing to help and do whatever I can for my daughter’s friends.”

“That’s very kind of you.” says Ty Lee as she steps outside. “But we’ll still try to keep from asking too much of you and your people. We really just need a place to stay and rest for right now. Also, it’s freezing!”

The Water Tribe leader is unable to hold back from chuckling as he steps outside and sees the young woman shivering. “That’s the South Pole for you. After all the excitement you’ve been through, I’m sure your body didn’t notice the cold until now. Don’t worry, we’ll get you warmed up and everything you need soon.”

Hakoda takes off his fur parka and hands it to Ty Lee. The acrobat gladly accepts the warm clothing and quickly puts it on. “Thank you so much!”

“Let’s get you taken care of before you pass out on us.” jokes Hakoda.

“Sounds good to me.” cheerfully responds Ty Lee as the two of them head back to the airship to retrieve the Fire Nation visitors’ belongings.

Meanwhile, the airbender has been silently observing Katara, Zuko, and Mai with an expression of deep worry clear on his face. Part of him wants to stay there and try to help, but the other part of him also knows that Hakoda is right and he should leave Zuko’s recovery to Katara. Aang sighs then eventually makes his way towards the exit. Stopping at the doorway, he turns backs to look one more time at his firebender friend with the hope that he will wake up in that moment. The young ruler remains unresponsive as Katara continues tending to him. Aang sighs again then departs from the hut with one last thought crossing his mind.

‘I hope you get better soon, Zuko.’

* * *

A young man wearing a faded purple cloak waits patiently while sitting on the royal throne of the Fire Lord. When he hears two sets of footsteps approaching, Yun smiles to himself knowing his comrades draw near. The armored giant and the masked man soon appear and kneel in front of their leader.

“Master.” both men declare in unison.

“Rama, Kai, it’s good to see the two of you. Are each of you doing all right? No injuries I hope.”’

“I am well, master.” speaks up Rama.

“Nothing worth your attention, master.”

“Come now, I wouldn’t want anything terrible happening to my friends so I can’t help but worry about your wellbeing. Are you sure you’re both doing okay?”

“Yes, Master Yun. I have some bruises, cuts, and a stab wound but I’ve had my injuries tended to. Kai suffered some burns from his encounter with Fire Lord Zuko, but I cannot tell you how serious they are myself.”

Yun knowingly looks over at his masked ally. “Kai?”

“Really, it’s nothing, Master Yun. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay then, if you say so.” smiles the cloaked young man. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like me to have Yukino check up on you?”

The lightningbender is unable to keep a blush from forming on the visible part of his face. His eyes look in the direction of Yun but avoids direct eye contact. “N-no, umm, I’ll ask her myself at another time.”

The master lets out a small laugh. “Of course, I understand. Well then, I suppose we should talk about the business at hand now. Please give me a full report on your overall success here in the capital. I have an inkling of an idea considering where I’m sitting right now. Also, could the two of you stand up for me? I’d rather not have to look down the whole time. My neck is starting to hurt just thinking about it.”

Both men rise to their feet and remove their head coverings. Rama tucks his metal helmet under one of his arms and Kai ties his draconic mask onto his sash. The metalbender’s face has a rugged appearance like weathered brown leather with old wrinkles running all through it. He has a brownish grey, well kempt beard and shaved head. Despite his age, Rama’s face is strongly built like the rest of his body with chiseled cheek bones and a square jawline. His hazel green eyes stay focused and steadfast as ever. Kai’s appearance is much younger looking like a man around his early twenties. His oval shaped face is clean shaven with a cleft chin and sharp handsome features that usually displays a scowl. Resembling the branches of a tree, a long-jagged pale white scar marks the right side of Kai’s face streaking down to his neck and continuing past his collarbone. His sky-blue eyes soften from their usual cold intensity as he looks upon his master. The giant man is the first to address Yun.

“Aside from Fire Lord Zuko and his two female companions escaping, we were successful in capturing all military and political officials within the capital. This includes the head military advisor Master Piandao. Most of the soldiers and city guards have been defeated and are being held at the prison or were placed in medical care at the barracks. Those unaccounted for have chosen to either hide or flee. The others await your divine judgment, master. Our forces suffered injuries and low casualties. We have zero civilian deaths to report and loss of life for the opposition was kept to a minimum.” Rama turns to Kai and nods to him.

“We were successful in keeping the invasion an isolated incident. All enemy communications have either been intercepted or cut off completely. The pockets of resistance we’ve already encountered have been detained or eliminated. Based on intel we’ve gathered so far, the opposing forces that remain within the city have limited resources, are disorganized, and lack leadership. We are sure we will be able to locate and capture the last holdouts given enough time. We await your command to begin interrogations, master.”

“Well done, my friends.” applauds Yun with a smile. “Overall, your mission was a monumental success. Rather unfortunate that we were unable to apprehend the Fire Lord. Such a shame but nothing can be done about it now. So tell me, what exactly happened when you went after Zuko? And please, spare no details.”

With his heartbeat quickening, Kai feels overwhelmed with anxiety as he readies to speak. However, Rama gives a response before the lightningbender has a chance to say anything.

“We failed in capturing the Fire Lord because we underestimated our foe. Due to our mistake, our target gained the upper hand and slipped away from us. We offer our deepest apologies, Master Yun. We won’t make that mistake again.”

“Oh Rama.” states the cloaked young man while frowning. “I know that is not the entire truth. Quite kind of you to try covering for Kai, but I would very much like to hear what he has to say.”

The dark-haired man stares down with a defeated demeanor before returning his attention to his leader. “It was all my fault, Master Yun. I couldn’t keep control over my emotions and lost sight of the task you entrusted to me. I tried to end Fire Lord Zuko and it nearly cost me my own life, which is what I would have deserved for my disobedience. Rama saved me and helped me refocus on our mission. But we still failed you. I’m truly sorry, master, and I will undergo any punishment you believe I deserve for my shame and failure.”

The lightningbender closes his eyes and kowtows to the cloaked young man. Kai hears Yun stand up from the throne and approach him.

“Oh my dear Kai.” speaks up Yun in a saddened tone. “You indeed made an error in judgment, but I appreciate your honesty and your attempt to correct your wrongdoing. Do you know the reason why I want the Fire Lord captured alive and not killed?

Keeping his head down, Kai replies with an answer that sounds more like a question than a statement. “Because we can use him as a hostage.”

“Good guess, but it goes much further beyond that. Having the leader of the Fire Nation under our control provides us with leverage in achieving our goals and allows the people to see that we aren’t simply ruthless conquerors and oppressors trying to rule over them with an iron fist. That is not who we are and not who we ever will be. It’s part of why I do not wish to take his life or the lives of any other major leaders in this world. However, the key reason is that ending their lives will only make them martyrs. It’s easy to reign over a country and its citizens like the despots of the past, but fear and cruelty carried them only so far before the people decided they would suffer no longer under such injustice. For every individual you sentence to death, you create a spark of defiance and hope that proliferates until the flames of revolution eventually ignite, consuming all in its path like a righteous wildfire. I know from personal experience that choosing to follow the path of tyranny and merciless slaughter will ultimately lead to one’s own downfall. Do you understand the meaning I’m trying to get across to you, Kai?”

“I believe I do, master. If our actions are like tyrants, then people will only ever see us as tyrants. We only continue the cycle if we choose to always take the lives of our enemies.”

“Precisely. We do not take life needlessly. I’m glad you understand, and it’s because of that understanding I will hold off on issuing a punishment until I deem it necessary. Do you accept my decision, Kai?”

“Of course, Master Yun.”

“Good.” states the young man with a smile as he gently pats the top of the lightningbender’s head. “Please get back to your feet, my friend. I believe you and Rama still have more to report.”

Yun casually strolls back onto the Fire Lord’s throne and makes himself comfortable once more. “Now Rama, you said Fire Lord Zuko gained the upper hand and slipped away. I find it difficult to imagine how he would even be able to accomplish such a feat against the two of you. Please elaborate on what happened.”

“During our attempt to capture the Fire Lord, we met with unexpected resistance from our target. He used powerful firebending the likes of which we have never seen. Zuko’s eyes and the flames radiating from him burned with a bright red glow. His strange fire granted him enough strength to break free and overpower us when we were both restraining him. He attacked us with a fiery whirlwind that we held back with Kai’s lightning and my bending. Our defenses barely withstood the attack and the area around us that remained was nothing more than a blackened and smoldering ruin. That is when he made his escape. We went after him and found the Fire Lord with his allies in the city’s underground tunnels. Master Piandao intercepted us providing enough time for the Fire Lord and his two female companions to depart from the capital with an airship. We have no intel on their current whereabouts, but we believe they retreated to either the South Pole or the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu. We have nothing further to report on our failure to capture Fire Lord Zuko. Our deepest apologies, master.”

The cloaked young man does not respond at first. The part of his face that is visible beneath his hood is emotionless for a few moments. Then the corners of his mouth curl into a smile followed by Yun bursting out in laughter. Acting like he heard a hilarious joke, the master keeps laughing a hearty uncontainable laugh causing the two men in front of him to glance over at each other with concern. Eventually, Kai speaks up to question his leader.

“Is everything alright, Master Yun?”

The young man soon regains control of himself after his outburst motioning a sleeve up to his obscured face as if wiping away tears from his eyes. “Yes, yes, everything’s just fine, my friends. I simply find it amusing that, even after all this time, the spirits and fate itself continue to find a way to conspire against me. This news is indeed a most surprising revelation, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in seeing what comes next.”

“Can you explain to us what you mean, master?” asks the metalbender.

“Ah yes, my apologies. Just got caught up in a bit of nostalgia, I’ll elaborate on what I believe is happening in due time. But for the moment, I suggest erring on the side of caution if engaging in combat against Fire Lord Zuko and the glowing red fire he wields. I’m also sure three more benders with similar abilities in the other elements will make their appearances here soon.”

“Who are these benders, master?” wonders the scarred man.

“Inheritors of the past. Gifted individuals bestowed with great power from ancient elemental entities. These four benders, heroes as they would have likely been called, were chosen to put an end to a corrupt tyrant that attempted to take over this world. However, events did not play out with the villain meeting his demise by their hands. Their final battle concluded after their adversary mistakenly took the life of an innocent causing him to surrender. And so, the tale of the heroes and their triumph of good over evil faded from memory, lost and forgotten with the passing of time. Yet now, it seems that very power has returned to carry out what it failed to finish so long ago. Hmm, I wonder if other parts of the past are destined to repeat themselves as well.” The young man smiles broadly with anticipation at the possible prospects. “Anyhow, Rama, Kai, do you have anything else to report regarding the Fire Nation capital?”

“No, Master Yun.”

“That is all, master.”

“Thank you, my friends. And try to not let yourselves feel too upset about failing to capture Fire Lord Zuko. Melati and Yukino did not fare any better in apprehending Earth King Kuei. They met with unexpected resistance from the firebending masters General Iroh and Admiral Jeong Jeong. In fact, if not for my intervention, they would have suffered some substantial injuries.”

Kai shifts uncomfortably upon hearing the last words spoken by his leader.

“But worry not. They are in good health and even succeeded in capturing Master Jeong Jeong just as you did with Master Piandao. So, I’m proud to say that all of you had equally astounding levels of success. Speaking of allies, I plan on having us all rendezvous in Ba Sing Se once we finish our business here in the Fire Nation. Are the two of you ready to accompany me to greet our first guest?”

“Of course, master.”

“Yes, Master Yun.”

“Good, let us be on our way then.” The cloaked master gets up from the throne and motions for his metalbender friend to begin leading the way. Rama and Kai replace their head coverings and start escorting Yun as they head towards the tunnels of the Fire Nation capital. “Now, I’ve heard he’s been kept in a solitary prison cell underneath the confines of the palace. Is that correct, Rama?”

“Yes, sir. Former Fire Lord Ozai has remained imprisoned beneath the capital since the end of the war.”

“He must be quite bored after all this time. Does he know what’s happened since our arrival here?”

“I’m sure he knows by now, master. After the initial invasion, he was cut off from his regularly scheduled meals. We returned basic functions of the palace and the city back to working order once we contained resistance and had control over most of the people. He’s also probably noticed that the usual guards assigned to watch over him have changed after we began overseeing operations here.”

“Sounds like we have much to discuss with him then. If it’s okay with you two, I’ll handle all the talking with Ozai from here on.”

“Yes, master.” declare both men in unison.

The three men weave their way through the winding palace tunnels until they eventually reach two guards standing at attention outside a metal door. After Rama motions to the guards, the two men salute then open the door for the three of them to enter. Kai and Rama stand respectively to the left and right of Yun as they appear before the former Fire Lord. Ozai has become skinnier during his time in captivity with his light skin even paler due to the absence of sunlight. Disheveled and unkempt, his long dark hair and goatee has faded in color with streaks of grey now running through them. However, Ozai’s golden eyes still maintain a sense of prideful ambition and ferocity like a dangerous beast ready to pounce if one were to let his guard down. Ozai is dressed in simple brown clothes and wrapped up in a faded red blanket as he sits up from his bed. The former Fire Lord places his back against his cell’s wall to support himself as he looks over to the purple cloaked figure directly in front of him.

“So I have visitors again.” states Ozai in a condescending tone. “And not ones I recognize. To what do I owe the pleasure for your company?”

“Our most humble greetings, Phoenix King Ozai.” responds Yun as he gives a formal bow. The former ruler perks up slightly after hearing how he is addressed. “It is an honor to finally make your acquaintance. My name is Yun, and these two gentlemen here with me are my trusted advisors, Rama and Kai. You have my deepest apologies for the unfortunate circumstances and imprisonment you are currently forced to endure. I come here offering you freedom from this place along with other potential arrangements I believe to be of great benefit and interest to you, if your Highness is willing to hear me out.”

With narrowed eyes, Ozai scans around the room. Golden orbs dart back and forth from the three men to the door to everything in between. “I’m listening.”

“My sincere gratitude for hearing out my proposal.” Yun smiles kindly to the imprisoned man. “I’m sure you’ve surmised by now that there was an immense commotion throughout the capital. I’m the cause behind it. My people and I have assumed control over the city and its inhabitants. We’ve removed the political and military leaders that were in place including your son, Fire Lord–”

“Is he dead?”

“As far as we know, Fire Lord Zuko is alive. He managed to escape from us during our incursion.”

Ozai focuses on the cloaked man with a malicious grin. “How unfortunate, and here I was hoping for some good news.”

“Well it can be, depending on what you decide to do based on what I’m about to propose to you.”

“Oh, my apologies for interrupting you.” responds Ozai sarcastically with feigned sympathy. “Do go on.”

“We have not executed any Fire Nation leaders yet. Our hope is to bring them to heel without more violence than what is necessary.”

“And what do you consider necessary?”

“That is what I was going to ask you, Phoenix King Ozai. My proposal is that in exchange for your freedom, I humbly request you oversee the Fire Nation and its people in my stead. At least until I’ve brought the rest of the world into our fold. Given the backing of my troops, I ask that you apprehend any dissidents for reeducation while also keeping the rest of the citizenry in line, with the use of however much force you deem appropriate. Bearing in mind the wellspring of experience and wisdom you have with your previous position of power, I see no one better suited for this endeavor. Are you willing to join me, your Highness?”

The former Fire Lord flashes a devilish smirk at Yun then begins laughing hysterically. Kai and Rama glance over at each other while their master simply holds his composure at the laughing man in front of him. Ozai soon returns to an insidious calm as he refocuses on the cloaked individual.

“Do you take me for a fool? You speak to me with honeyed words and offer me empty promises of fortune and power, but I still see past your tempting lies and gilded façade. Even if you have taken over the capital, you cannot hope to maintain control of it by yourself, which is why you have made your way down here to me. You need a pawn. You need someone that you can use to your advantage, someone that the people already know and fear. And despite my current state, my name still carries weight in the Fire Nation. Everyone still remembers who I am and knows what I’m capable of. You need me.”

Ozai pauses and closes his eyes for a moment almost like he’s savoring the very words that came from his mouth. He reopens his eyes and his countenance shifts into a face of callous contempt.

“Here is my answer. No. I will not join you and your band of outsiders. Because I refuse to be a puppet and subject myself to your authority, an authority that should rightfully be mine. Now, take your underlings and leave my presence.” The former ruler shoos them away with a disdainful wave of his hand.

Looking to each other, the metalbender and lightningbender think about breaking formation and having strong words with the former Fire Lord until Yun raises one of his golden gauntleted hands and starts lightly tapping onto the bars of Ozai’s cell.

“Ever the prideful phoenix. Aren’t you, Ozai?” responds the cloaked master in his usual cheerful tone. “Tell me, what use is a caged bird that cannot sing? Is there any reason for keeping an impotent creature that no longer serves a purpose?”

“Why you–” Ozai speaks up but soon stops when the sharp sounds of metal bending become louder than his voice. He looks around and notices the steel bars of his cell deforming in shape and enclosing around him. The former firebender feels a bead of sweat run down the side of his head as he stares at Yun. “Stop this!”

“Of course.” politely comments the cloaked master as he pauses the subtle movements of his hand. The screeching of metal immediately comes to a halt.

Ozai stares in utter disbelief at the young man. When he looks upon Yun, the former Fire Lord recalls the last time he had feared for his life. He was battling the Avatar on the day of Sozin’s Comet when his own lightning was almost sent back at him. Ozai still remembers with clarity the fear and hesitation on the boy’s face as he changed the electricity’s path. He does not sense anything like that coming from the cloaked stranger in front of him. In his mind, Ozai recognizes he should proceed cautiously in any further dealings with Yun.

“You can bend metal?”

“I can do many things. But now that I have your undivided attention again, let me offer you more insight on my intentions. You are right and wrong. Alone, I cannot keep control of the Fire Nation capital and its people, at least not while I still have so many other places to go and bring salvation to. Otherwise, I would simply take the lives of everyone here and raze everything to the ground, exactly like what you had planned for Ba Sing Se. I’m not that kind of person though. I truly care about the people of this world and know they deserve better than the constant suffering and hardships they all endure in life. That is why I’m giving you a chance as well, Phoenix King Ozai. I’m sure you now understand what it is like to have fallen from grace. To have everything taken from you and be forced to live out a bleak existence trapped inside a dark cage of despair and isolation. It doesn’t have to remain that way for you though. You can join me and my forces, not as a puppet but as an ally. I do not see you as a pawn, Ozai, but rather someone with the potential to help bring change to this world. If you are willing to make that choice. Also, I can offer you something even greater than your freedom should you decide to stand with us.”

Ozai is now back to a mostly calm state of mind as he stares at Yun. For a moment, he turns away to contemplate the young man’s words. The former ruler closes his eyes and lets out a slow exhale before eventually returning his gaze. “What exactly is it you can give me that is greater than being free of this place?”

“Your firebending.”

At first, Ozai is not sure how to respond. His thoughts come to a halt upon hearing what Yun is offering.

“What? That’s not possible.”

“Oh, it quite is. I’ve had my own bending taken away from me before, and I can return yours to you as well.”

The disheveled man eyes Yun suspiciously trying to read his presence, but Ozai is unable to discern his acquaintance’s true intentions.

“How?”

“Tsk, tsk. You still haven’t made a choice yet. I have no reason to share any further details on the matter until you decide. So, what will you do, Ozai?”

The former Fire Lord grits his teeth before getting up from his bed. He takes a few steps forward and stops right in front of the cloaked young man. Ozai slowly and begrudgingly brings himself down to kneel before Yun. “Yes, I will join you.”

“Marvelous!” declares the master as he claps his hands together. “Also, you really didn’t have to kneel for me. I’m not a king or anything of that sort. On your feet now please.”

Ozai stands back up. “So, what now, Yun?”

“Well, first things first.” replies Yun as he uses a hand to forcefully bend the door from Ozai’s cell. He rips away the steel bars from their frame then casually tosses the metal parts aside. “A bird should be allowed to spread it wings.”

Still suspicious of his new ally, Ozai takes a weary step before finally exiting his cage. Upon seeing him make his way out, Yun smiles and offers a friendly hand to the former Fire Lord.

“Ozai, I look forward to working with you and I hope we can accomplish many great things together.”

The disheveled man slowly reaches out then eventually shakes Yun’s hand.

“By the way,” begins the cloaked master after he finishes shaking hands. He motions to the left and right of him at his two companions. “These are a couple of the associates that you will be working with. The giant fellow in the suit of armor is Rama. He trains and leads our metalbenders.”

The armored man comes forward and shakes hands with their new ally. Ozai feels a powerful death grip from Rama as if he’s telling him to not get any ideas on turning against them.

“And our masked compatriot over here is Kai. He trains and leads our lightningbenders.”

Kai also moves up to them and halfheartedly exchanges greetings with the former ruler.

“Now that everyone is acquainted, let us return to the palace.”

The four men leave the cell behind them as they make their way back to the surface of the Fire Nation capital. As expected, Ozai, Rama, and Kai keep their eyes locked on one another while they travel to the palace. The former firebender decides to hold off from the questions running through his mind until they reach the main hall. Once they finally arrive, Ozai steps into light of the day enjoying the sun’s warmth as he stretches out his limbs.

“Must be nice to actually feel the sun again.”

“Indeed. It’s been far too long.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

Part of Ozai wishes he could blast fire at the cloaked master in that instance, but he knows he’ll just have to wait for the time being. Ozai fakes a smile as he looks over at the young man. “Now that I’ve joined you, would you be so kind as to return my firebending to me?”

“Why of course. I’d be more than happy to return that power to you. After you meet a few conditions for me first.”

The former ruler’s demeanor immediately changes into a hate filled glare as he looks at Yun. “What conditions exactly?”

“Come now, Ozai. No need to be upset, you’re merely fulfilling your part when you agreed to join us. For our arrangement, I only require three tasks of you. I believe the first task should be easy enough. As you may have gathered by now, I’m essentially trying to unite everyone together. This aspiration of mine will likely cause a full-scale war involving all the nations and people of this world. For us to succeed, we require allies and resources. Hence why I came to you. We currently have more than enough resources from both here as well as Ba Sing Se.”

“Ba Sing Se? What do you mean by that?”

“Oh right, my apologies. We really need to give you a proper briefing as soon as time permits. My people and I have already taken control of both the Fire Nation capital and the Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se.”

Ozai simply stares at Yun. “You honesty want me to believe that you have also conquered Ba Sing Se? Ridiculous.”

“You fail to understand the power and influence that our master possesses.” interjects Rama proudly.

“So they can speak, and here I thought them lap dogs that only bark when commanded to.”

A bright blue arc of lightning suddenly appears from Kai’s hands. He aims the bolt of energy directly at Ozai. The former ruler swallows nervously and feels a line of sweat run down his face as he watches the lightningbender.

“Says a lowly, beaten mongrel who can no longer bite. We may as well put you out of your misery here and now.”

“Kai. Stand down.”

The masked man pauses on his bending and looks over at his master. Yun simply smiles back at him. “Now please.”

Kai puts an end to the electricity letting it fade from his hands.

“Thank you. As for you Ozai, keep in mind that you are speaking to people who are now your peers. They may choose to follow me, but they still think and act of their own free will. I would like to consider myself quite generous in that regard. I try not asking too much of my companions when we aren’t busy saving the world. And so, I was hoping you could do the same. Please be respectful and play nice with the rest of our allies. Because I will not always be here to stop them. Do we understand each other?”

The former Fire Lord lets out a huff of frustration before nodding and giving the benders a formal apology. “My apologies, Rama and Kai.” states Ozai with a small bow. “Please forgive me for the disrespect I have shown you.”

The two men exchange silent glances then nod to one another. They return their attention onto Ozai and give a small bow back to him.

“We accept your apology.” responds Rama in a sincere tone. “Let us work together for all our benefit.”

“Sorry about wanting to shoot you with lightning.”

“Well done, gentlemen. Now, let us get back to what we were talking about. Oh, and please don’t interrupt our discussion with such trivial bickering again.” declares the young man with a hint of annoyance in his voice. “Are we all clear?”

“Yes master.” reply Kai and Rama in unison.

“I understand, Yun.”

“Good. As I was saying a moment ago, we have the resources but are lacking in allies. Specifically, ones well-suited to handling the socioeconomic and political factors in all the different regions. We will also need people experienced in combatting the Avatar and his forces. I already have some in mind. But for you Ozai, I need you to help convince your daughter Azula to join us, then afterwards reach out to the New Ozai Society.”

“Azula? Why her? And what New Ozai Society?”

“Given how many encounters she must have had against him during the war, I believe your daughter is the most proficient and knowledgeable when it comes to facing the Avatar. That is a responsibility you placed on her, is it not?”

“Yes, I did.”

“So it goes without saying that she is quite capable when it comes to warfare against the Avatar and his allies?”

“I would have to agree. Azula is more than capable of removing the Avatar if given the right opportunity and the proper support.”

“I’m glad we are in agreeance. As for the New Ozai Society, you can’t hide that from me.” Yun knowingly smiles to his new ally. “I know that after your son usurped the throne from you there were several of your supporters who strongly disagreed and even abhorred the radical change of power. As a result, they formed a clandestine coalition conspiring to overthrow Zuko and reinstate you as leader of the Fire Nation. I do not know who amongst your countrymen are involved but I’m sure you do.”

Ozai allows an amused chuckled to escape from him. “You really are full of surprises. I’m impressed. You seem to know everything about us, your allies, and even the enemies you plan to face.”

“Not quite, but I do try to keep myself well-informed as much as I can.”

“Would you mind sharing some of your vast wisdom with your new ally?”

Yun lets out a warmhearted laugh. “I don’t mind at all, but I’ll tell you after we bring your daughter back here to the capital. If she agrees to join us, I would like to share information with two of my most powerful allies at the same time. It saves me the trouble of having to repeat myself. I hope you don’t object to waiting until then.”

“Not at all.” grins the former Fire Lord. “I completely understand needing to manage your time when leading forces during a war.”

“Thank you for your understanding. Phoenix King Ozai, as part of your first task please reach out to those connections that are still loyal to you. Have them join you in returning order to this nation. You will have my peoples’ full backing in holding power while I attend to other matters that require my attention. Once you have secured the aid you require, your second task is to subdue and contain any threats or resistance from within while also trying to convince the citizenry to trust us and follow our cause. You need not gain everyone’s support, merely show them that the people who stand with us prosper and I’m sure the majority will join us of their own choosing soon enough. After you complete those two tasks, I will help in restoring your firebending to you. Do those conditions sound reasonable enough?”

“Seems like you’re asking a great deal of me. Requesting me to reveal my hidden allies to you while making myself a major target here within my homeland. And that’s not including the fact you still have yet to inform me of what my third task will be.”

“True, but despite your protest, we both know these endeavors will be little more than minor inconveniences for you. After all the time you’ve spent locked up, I thought you might enjoy a challenging exercise to help put you in the right state of mind. See it as a grand opportunity to display your power over this country and its people once more. The great Ozai rising up from the ashes of defeat, a phoenix reborn come to strike down his adversaries and reclaim his birthright and dominion over the land of fire. As for the third task, all you must do is maintain order over the Fire Nation until I return, and that’s it.”

“Really? That’s all?”

“Yes, really. I’m a man of my word. Complete your first two trials and I will aid you in regaining your firebending. Keep the Fire Nation under control until we unite this world and I promise you will have a position of power at my side. I’d say it’s quite a worthwhile arrangement I’m offering. So are you up to the tasks?”

Ozai gives a prideful smirk. “Let us begin then.”

“Splendid. Now before we go visit your daughter, we should dress you in more appropriate attire for one of your renown.” Yun brings his hands together in a resounding clap. A couple of Fire Nation female attendants soon appear before the cloaked man. He flashes a gentle smile at the two women. “You have my gratitude for answering so quickly.”

“Of course, sir.”

“We are honored to serve.”

“What do you require of us, sir?” question the two women in unison.

“As you can see with our esteemed guest here, he is in dire need of new garments. Clothing akin to what he wore when he was the Fire Lord if you would be so kind.”

“We understand, sir.”

“Oh, and could you first prepare a bath for His Highness then have a beautician attend to him once he’s ready?”

“As you command.” The attendants bow together before Yun.

“Thank you. Please send someone to inform me when he’s all taken care of and that will be all.”

“Understood, sir.”

The young master turns his attention back onto the former Fire Lord. “Well Ozai, enjoy the pampering and we will continue our business here soon.”

“Thank you, Yun.” replies Ozai in as a genuine manner as he can muster.

“You’re quite welcome. I’ll see you again, Ozai.” Yun waves a goodbye then looks over to his two trusted companions. “Kai, Rama, let us be off. I feel like touring the city for a moment while we wait for our ally.”

Both benders dutifully bow to their leader. “Of course, master.”

The three men walk away with Ozai continuing to cautiously watch them as they make their way out of the palace. His face subconsciously shifts into a scowl. Ozai is not sure what to make of his new allies or the predicament he is now in, but the former Fire Lord knows one thing for sure. He is going to do everything he can to keep his freedom and regain the power he believes is rightfully his.

* * *

Pain. Stiffness. Exhaustion. These feelings start to subside as the Fire Lord regains consciousness. He fights to open his eyes. When he finally does, the young man sees an ocean blue ceiling. He’s not exactly sure why but the color seems to calm him. The firebender takes a slow breath then steadily sits up from where he is laying down. Upon noticing the animal furs and dark blue colored blankets that are covering him, Zuko realizes he’s not in his own bed. The Fire Lord feels a brisk coolness in the air as he scans around the room. There are salves, bandages, and other medical supplies on the nightstand next to him. Two chairs are on each side of his bed, but it doesn’t seem like anyone is around. Zuko brings his hands up to rub his face then runs them through his dark hair. He is surprised when he feels a band of soft linen wrapped around his head.

The young ruler is slowly beginning to remember some of what happened before he was asleep. He remembers… Fighting. Running. A terrible storm. Mysterious benders of metal and lightning. Mai, Ty Lee, and Piandao. He takes a pause in trying to recall his recent memories to look over himself. Bandages are wrapped over parts of his body that have been burned and bruised. Surprisingly, Zuko feels mostly fine despite his appearance. The young man stops examining himself when he hears the sound of someone nearing the entrance to his room. Unsure of who is approaching, Zuko becomes nervous and his heartrate goes up. However, he immediately calms back down the moment he sees a familiar wavy, brown haired waterbender come in.

“Katara.”

“Zuko!”

Before he has a chance to respond, the firebender feels his friend pull him into a warm embrace. The Fire Lord’s heartrate instantly shoots back up and his mind freezes in place. He isn’t sure what to do next until his arms naturally wrap themselves around Katara. He closes his eyes and nestles his head against hers. Zuko feels deeply at peace as he and Katara contentedly hold each other. A long moment passes by as they soon realize that the two of them may be holding a little longer than they should and try to nonchalantly break away from the embrace. Both benders instinctively look away from one another to hide the obvious blush that is on each of their faces. Awkward silence fills the space between them until Katara finally speaks up.

“I, I’m glad you’re alright.”

“Th-thanks. I’m glad you’re here. Wait, I, I mean I’m glad you’re alright too. No wait, that’s not what I meant to say. Not to say that I’m not glad that you’re alright. Which I am, glad that you’re alright. And umm, I’m alright too. We’re both alright and I’m glad that we’re here… Ugh, nothing I said sounded right.” Zuko lets outs a defeated sigh and facepalms his forehead in frustration.

Katara teasingly giggles back at her friend. “It’s okay, Zuko. I know what you meant.”

“Thanks, Katara.” grins the Fire Lord.

“And you really shouldn’t beat yourself up when you’re hurt.” The young Water Tribe woman moves in closer to the firebender and playfully taps the spot where Zuko smacked himself.

“It’s one of the few things I’m good at.” jokes the ruler of the Fire Nation.

“Oh, don’t give me that. There are plenty of things you’re good at, Mr. Brood Lord.”

“Perhaps you could remind me what one of those things are, Great Master Katara the Wise and Powerful?”

“Apparently, you’re really good at getting your butt kicked and needing to be healed by me, Your Broodiness.”

He lets out a small laugh. “True. Hard to argue against that when we’ve been like this before. Honestly though, thank you for taking care of me, Katara.”

Zuko smiles and softly places a hand over one of hers. She brings both her hands around the firebender’s and gives a reassuring squeeze. “You’re welcome, Zuko. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Knowing what happened when they lingered with physical contact a short time ago, Katara and Zuko calmly pull their hands away to avoid another awkward moment between them.

“So am I well enough to get out of this bed?”

“Maybe, let’s take a look first.” Using the water from a basin, Katara bends the clear liquid around her hands then begins examining the Fire Lord.

“How long was I out for?”

“Let’s see…” considers the young woman as she continues to focus on her bending. “From what Mai and Ty Lee told me and how long you’ve been here, it’s been three days.”

“THREE DAYS?!”

“Yeah, they say you passed out on the way here so they kept flying nonstop. But don’t worry, they’re both doing fine. They’ve had plenty of rest and food to eat. Actually, Mai and Ty Lee were a lot more worried about you than taking care of themselves. We all were really worried about you, Zuko.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make everyone worry.”

“Don’t be. You should be thankful that you have so many people who care about you. And I’m sure everyone will be happy when they see you’re okay.”

“Thanks, Katara. You always seem to know how to make me feel better.”

“That’s because you always know how to make yourself feel worse.”

The two share a good laugh between them before Katara finishes up her examination of Zuko. Once she places the water back into the basin, the Fire Lord relaxes himself against the wall.

“Am I okay to start moving?”

The brown haired waterbender smiles at him. “You sure are. I’m happy to say that you’ve made a full recovery. Just don’t hit your head on anything for the next few days.”

“I’ll try not to.” comments Zuko as he does some stretches with his arms. “By the way, where are my clothes?”

“Oh.” Hearing those words, Katara can’t keep herself from letting the tone in her voice change. “Umm, they’re right over here.”

She shifts over and pulls out a neatly folded pile of Fire Nation clothing from a basket. Avoiding eye contact, the young woman holds them out to the firebender. He gladly accepts his typical traveling attire then gets up from the bed.

“There’s a curtain you can use to change over there.”

“Thank you again, Katara. I’ll be back in a sec.” The Fire Lord makes his way over to the private area.

“Yeah… of course.”

While her friend is changing, Katara tries to remain calm but is eventually unable to hold herself back from questioning her friend.

“Hey Zuko…”

“Yeah Katara?”

“There’s, there’s something I need to talk with you about.”

“Sure, what is it? Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s… I’ll just wait until you’re done changing.”

The young ruler doesn’t take long before he steps away from the curtain. He focuses on Katara with serious but caring golden eyes. “What’s the matter?”

“Umm, so… while I was taking care of you, I also went ahead and washed your clothes.”

“I can tell, they feel very clean and smell great. I appreciate it.”

“Uh huh. Well, it’s just that… whenever I washed your clothes, I found something… in one of your pockets.”

A wave of realization and anxiety flood into Zuko as he remembers a certain sentimental piece of blue neckwear he had on him when he fled the Fire Nation.

“Oh…” He gulps nervously and a deep blush comes over him. He looks over at Katara and sees that her demeanor is similar to his own. “Umm, what was it… you found exactly?”

The waterbender instinctively toys with her hair as she thinks over how this conversation will go. Another quiet moment passes between them before Katara pulls out a particularly special Water Tribe necklace and holds it up so they can both see it. She shyly gazes over at her firebender friend in order to make direct eye contact with him. “My mother’s necklace. The one I had given you.”

“Yeah… I, I had that with me.”

“Zuko, you… you don’t always keep this with you… Do you?”

“N-No. Not that I wouldn’t. Keep it on me I mean. I just... happened to have it with me this time.”

“But why, Zuko?”

“I was… I was really stressed and having trouble trying to keep a hold of all the things racing in my head. So I… I brought out your necklace from where I keep it hidden. I thought about you and imagined things you would say to me to help calm myself back down.”

“Did it help?”

“Yeah, it did.” Zuko grins without even thinking about it.

Katara can’t help but give a bittersweet smile. “I’m really glad it was able to help you, Zuko. But… we can’t let anyone see you with it.”

“I know. I’m sorry for bringing it with me.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. I wanted you to have it. I wanted you… to have something to remember me by, just like the piece you gave me. It’s something special just between us.” After saying those words out loud, Katara feels her face fluster even more causing her to look away.

“Do you still have it? I would understand if you had to get rid of it.”

The waterbender quickly returns her attention back onto to her friend. “Of course I do. After the promise we made with each other, I would never get rid of it. Why would you even think that?”

“I’m sorry. I just thought… that it’d be easier on you if you didn’t keep it, so you wouldn’t have to remember.”

“Oh Zuko, I would never want to forget. I keep it at the place most special to me here. Because you are the one that helped make it right for me.”

“I’m glad you kept it.”

“I’m glad it helps you.”

Another long still silence lingers between them.

“Would you like to take it back?”

“No, that’s why I gave it to you, Zuko.” responds the young waterbender in an almost lighthearted tone.

The Fire Lord can’t help himself from smiling slightly. “I know but just for right now. I don’t have a way of secretly taking it back with me to the Fire Nation palace at the moment. And I can’t keep it on me while we’re here.”

“You have a point. Okay, I’ll take it back, but only on two conditions.”

“And they are?”

“You have to take back what you gave me. And then once we get finished with whatever craziness is happening in the Fire Nation, we’ll give them back to each other. Promise me you will do that?”

Zuko beams brightly at his friend. “I promise, Katara.”

She cheerfully smiles back at him. “Thank you, Zuko.”

The two benders move to hug each other again, but stop what they’re doing when they hear someone else coming to Zuko’s door. With a panicked look, Zuko and Katara eye each other with the thought of just try to act natural. In seconds, a familiar black-haired young noblewoman enters the room.

Trying to sound like his usual self, Zuko speaks up. “So you’ve already heard about what happened in the Fire Nation?”

“Yeah, Ty Lee and Mai told us all about what happened over there. Oh, speaking of Mai, hey there!”

“Mai!”

“Zuko!” calls out Mai in what would be considered an excited tone for her. She dashes over and warmly hugs her boyfriend.

“I’m glad you’re okay. Also, this is for you.” The dagger wielder gives the Fire Lord a good slap across the face.

“Ow, what was that for?”

“For getting yourself hurt and making us worry about you. Do you have any idea how long you were out?”

“Katara told me three days.”

“Yeah, three whole days. Next time you decide to get into a fight with some unknown benders, avoid getting hit in the head and just run away so Ty Lee and I don’t have to pilot an airship by ourselves and haul your deadweight all the way to the Southern Water Tribe. Got it?”

“I understand and I’m so sorry, Mai.”

Mai slaps Zuko again but on his other cheek this time.

“Ow, what was that one for?”

“You should also be thanking and apologizing to Katara for having to make her take care of you while you’ve been out this entire time. By the way, thank you for helping Zuko, Katara.”

“Oh, there’s no need to thank me. I’m used to doing things like this and its part of my role here.”

“Regardless, I can’t thank you enough for taking care of Zuko.”

“Of course and you’re welcome.”

Mai smirks at the waterbender then elbows the Fire Lord to show his thanks.

“You have my deepest apologies and my eternal gratitude for saving my life, Master Katara. If there is any way the Fire Nation can repay this debt, I will do all in my power to make it happen.” He then flawlessly performs a formal bow to his Water Tribe friend. With a cocky grin, Zuko glances over and loudly whispers to Mai. “There, happy now?”

Katara playfully returns a proper bow of her own to her firebender friend. “You are most welcome, Fire Lord Zuko. Hmm, let me think what you could do. Ah, got it. All I ask for is a lifetime supply of fire flakes.”

“As you wish, fire flakes it is.” The young ruler claps his hands together in an authoritative manner. “Mai is a big fan of them too.”

“Glad to see you’re feeling well enough to almost have a sense of humor.” comments the young Fire Nation noblewoman cheekily.

“Hey, I have a sense of humor.”

“Says who? Sokka?” adds in Katara.

“Well… yes.”

The two women share a good laugh at the Fire Lord’s expense.

“I’m sure you two have some catching up to do.” states Katara as she moves toward the exit. “And I need to help out with making dinner soon so I’ll go ahead and leave now. Have fun, you two.”

“Katara?”

“Yes, Zuko?”

“Could you please let everyone know I’m doing okay?”

“Of course.”

“I’m sure we’ll be seeing Ty Lee here as soon as she does.” remarks Mai in a teasing voice.

“And probably Aang and Sokka as well.”

“Actually, Sokka’s off visiting Suki right now but I’m sure Appa and Momo will be happy to see you’re alright.”

“Thank you, Katara. We won’t be long.”

“You’re welcome, Zuko. And take your time.”

As the brown-haired waterbender exits the room, Katara catches a glimpse of Mai as she wraps her arms around Zuko. She senses an unusual mix of emotions within herself. Guilt, joy, anxiety, content, sadness, and something else all seem to run through her at once. The young Water Tribe woman feels an overwhelming feeling of unease wash over her but being who she is, Katara simply does her best to shake off that nagging feeling and continue on to inform everyone about Zuko.

**Author's Note:**

> P.S. I'm always open to any reviews or criticisms people leave me. I appreciate any comments on my work. - Vergil


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